MTA Art & Design open calls, demystified.

Ever been in a subway station and said to yourself, "I love the artwork here, how does one get chosen for this?".

The MTA, Arts & Design has open calls for artists, posted on their website frequently. Some are for musicians, or photographers for their slide boxes in stations, but the one that interested me most are the open calls for art on subway platforms. It is called "Percent for Art", every time they renovate a station 1% of the cost is designated to the artwork at the station. They put out an open call on their website, collect samples of artists work and share them at a community meeting to vote on a few artists to choose from. Once chosen in the first group you are asked to do a presentation of how the art would appear in their template, you receive a payment for this effort. This open call is for professional artists and is quite competitive.

My station is at 105 Beach Station, Rockaway NY. Completed in faceted glass and epoxy by the fabricator Erskin Mitchell, based in Baton Rouge. The MTA dictates what material will be used and will provide a list of fabricators that they have previously worked with to choose from. You then work closely with the fabricator, giving them your designs; they come back with "cartoons" creating a template of how the work will translate into the medium. You then work with an appointed MTA person to finalize it. The fabricator then takes over in the creation, delivery and install, along with a MTA point person. The contract is daunting, but mine was completed without a hitch. Before signing the contract I checked in with another artist who had a completed a platform in similar material as min. I voiced my concerns and she responded positively, so I moved forward and signed the contract. Another art experience to add to my artillery.

More photos from the platform can be seen here: MTA 105 Beach Street art

Cheers! Callie CallieArt.com

Callie Art showing at Guild Hall, East Hampton NY.

I am very excited to announce that my piece titled: pandemic daydreams i, is part of the 83rd Annual Guild Hall Artists Members Exhibition. Open from March 6 thru April 10, 2021. @158 Main Street, East Hampton, NY.

It was a wintery cold day in March when we drove out to drop off the artwork. Due to the pandemic, we had a slotted time for drop off, in the parking lot, with masks on. Strange times indeed. One of the Guild Hall employees came to the car and removed it from the back seat. We had our lunch in the parking lot, then drove off in search of a beach to enjoy Long Island for a moment. Bundled up, we found a log to have coffee on while staring out at the rough seas. It was a cloudy, chilly day but then the sun broke through reminding us that summer is around the corner. It has been a long winter of being holed up in our apartment in Brooklyn. While people are out and about in other parts of the country during the pandemic, we were extra cautiou. Living so close to a cemetery (Green-Wood Cemetery) we felt very aware of the death toll the world has experienced. So this little adventure meant a lot to us.

pandemic daydreams i, 2020. 20" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

To see more from the series, pandemic daydreams series
Cheers, Callie Callieart.com

Callie Art on Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CallieArt Just sold!

I opened my Etsy store in hope that it would expose my art to a wider audience and be an easy way for people to have access to purchasing my artwork. As the years went by Etsy became more and more infiltrated with other "Callie's". Putting Callie into the search did not bring my store into view, but rather a vast array of other Callie artwork. How does one become more successful in showing up on top of the list I pondered. Apparently key words are essential in your descriptions. Also posting your etsy store on other platforms, such as your website and blog. Which brings me here, to this day, writing about my Etsy store to make people aware of its very existance.

Last night, much to my surprise, I made a sale! It showed up as an e-mail informing me of the purchase. Last time I made a sale on Etsy was the night before my father passed. The buyer's name was Ceila, my dad's mother's name. I took this as a sign, and I ran with it. First thing the next morning I ran to the post office to send the purchase off. Right before getting into the subway to visit my dad in the hospital my younger brother called my cell to tell me of dad's passing. Etsy was the conduit to my Nana, telling me everything was going to be alright, she was there for my dad. Strange story I know, but this is a blog of free expression.

And so I am back to believing in my Etsy shop and will be adding new work to it as much as possible. I acutally love shopping on Etsy. It allows you to work directly with artists, cut out the big stores, and find some incredible one of a kind pieces. A great place to scour for gift ideas. I highly recommend it!

Cheers! Callie CallieArt.com https://www.etsy.com/shop/CallieArt

Experimenting with art

Playing in photoshop one day, I started taking parts of the painting and rearranging them. This one above is one of my favorite outcomes. It is gentle, gives the hint of architecture and people hiding behind windows. Taking a creation one step beyond, or in today's terms, painting 2.0. I was happy with the outcomes, but not so sure that they warrant showing as a new photoshopped painting. What they do offer me is an analysis of my work and allow me to re-create how I am presenting it.

I find myself still in isolation after a year, working from home, and learning how to keep healthy, happy and to cohabitate with patience.

Be safe, stay sane and enjoy what you have. Cheers, Callie