On Desolation Row: the Marketing Grant, part one.

This is a long story for what was, in the scheme of things, a very small grant. But it was very helpful, and I think the story may be more helpful with more details.


Somewhere toward the end of 2005 I was asked by curator and collector Peter Fay to make some kind of larger scale piece or pieces, possibly for a show.
He gave me the words from Dylan's DESOLATION ROW as a kind of starting point.

This photo, taken march last year,
shows the work in its very early stages.

Back then my work, in paper and textiles, was very small scale (often still is) - space to work was very limited. They had to be big, but not heavy, and I needed to be able to disassemble and reassemble the work.



By March I had started the sculptures and knew the general form that they would take. And I knew they were heading for a Melbourne Gallery; Silvershot on Flinders Lane, to be in a group show that Peter was putting together, with Simon Yates, Michelle Hanlin, Simon Scheuerle and Stephen Freiberg, which would open at the end of August.


Silvershot, which operates as a 'gallery-for-hire' were donating the space for Peter's project, and were not taking a commission.

Peter gave me a deadline; to have the sculptures finished a month prior to installing the show, to allow time for labelling, packaging and travelling.


Not only was this a considerable undertaking for me in terms of the scale of the work, and my lack of workspace. It was also a challenge because I had never exhibited a body of work outside Wollongong. At first I had no idea of the best way to get the work there; I had never had to freight anything. And I am rather untravelled myself.


It became evident that it was all going to be a rather expensive exercise, at least on my small income. There main costs would be the freight, the airfare, and the accomodation. Also, I felt I needed to take my partner along to assist me where necessary, and, of course, for a bit of moral support - and he's even poorer than me.


So I had a look at the NAVA small grants that might be applicable to the project; the NAVA Visual and Craft Artists’ Grant and the NAVA Marketing Grant. Actually, at first I did not really think the Marketing Grant would be applicable, but after talking to a nice NAVA person, I found out it would be, at least for some of the associated costs.


It was daunting, I had never applied for a grant and I really don’t like maths, or forms, or any of that stuff. In fact they make me nervous. Just reading the application form was rather off-putting. Very different to making a submission for an exhibition. No pictures!?


But I thought I should have a go, a bit of extra cash would allow me to make the most of the opportunity. And hopefully spare me having to go into debt, or ask the parents.



This photo shows a detail of some of the work in May 2006. Still a long way to go....
By this point the show had a title; IT'S PAINTING SO IT MUST BE GERMAN. That was Peter's brilliant idea, of course.

Part 2 coming soon.