by Adam Brant | Jan 24, 2018
In the lead-up to TAE18 we chat with curator Kylie Fogarty about preparations for the 2018 Twitter Art Exhibition, and discover a little more about how the Pegasus Riding for the Disabled of the ACT Inc. charity will benefit from your donations.
Getting excited for Twitter Art Exhibit (TAE) 2018? With so many fantastic postcards donated by generous and talented artists from around the world arriving in Canberra, Australia, for the exhibition so are we!
Adam Brant was lucky enough to have an opportunity to talk to TAE18 Curator Kylie Fogarty this week (between her opening postcards!) to find out what’s involved in curating TAE18, how preparations are going, and what artists can do to help her.
A multidisciplinary artist based in Canberra, Kylie’s works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally through numerous exhibitions. She is represented in Galleries throughout Australia with her works being held by public and private art collectors worldwide. Her intaglio etchings are permanently archived in the National Gallery of Australia, with the Animalia Print Exchange 2013 and 2015.
Why and how did you agree to volunteer as the TAE18 curator?
I’ve been participating in the Twitter Art Exhibit for some time now. I was invited to participate by a fellow artist, Eryka Garbutt, and we both sent in entries that year. I remember thinking back then it would be fantastic to be able to host a TAE in Australia.
I really enjoyed being a part of the TAE from the start and the opportunities it provided to join other artists from across the world to support charities to help others, and to meet with those other artists along the way.
In the three years between my first entry and applying to curate the TAE, I was involved in curating other Community Art Shows. This provided some experience and insight into what would be involved in curating a TAE. I therefore decided to apply when the ‘Expressions of Interest’ were announced for hosting the 2018 TAE.
Before submitting my ‘Expression of Interest’ I approached Strathnairn Arts Gallery with a proposal to host the TAE (and seeking Sponsorship for the Gallery space). I was delighted when they agreed to host the event.
The application process involved filling in forms, meeting with the charity, emails and a Skype interview with the TAE Board. This all led to my appointment as the Curator of the 2018 TAE. I was so excited when I found out!
Can you tell us a bit more about the charity the TAE is supporting this year?
All sales from TAE18 are being donated to Pegasus Riding for the Disabled of the ACT Inc. (Pegasus). Their mission is to enrich the lives of people with a disability through the delivery of horse-facilitated therapy.
Being the only Riding for the Disabled Centre in Canberra and the surrounding local New South Wales region, Pegasus is a vital organisation to the community. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, Pegasus also has long waiting lists.
Pegasus offers a range of mounted and unmounted programs for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. One session with a Pegasus pony costs $70.
The aim of the #TAE18 is to raise as many scholarships as possible for the local community and to help reduce the long waiting lists. By donating a postcard to the TAE, artists will be contributing towards the cost of running programs and helping someone with a disability gain the benefits of equine therapy.
You can discover more by visiting the Pegasus website www.pegasusact.com.au, and by following their social media accounts on Twitter (@PegasusRDA_ACT), Facebook (@PegasusRDA) and Instagram (@pegasusrda_act).
What’s been involved in your role as the TAE18 curator so far?
A typical day involves: • A trip to the post box to collect entries • Scanning and watermarking the collected entries • Data entry about the entries • Tweeting to artists to let them know their entry has arrived • Replying to emails from artists, possible Sponsors of the actual event, the Charity, the Gallery and any other TAE related communication.
Add to this promoting the event, inviting artists to participate, seeking donations for the actual exhibition and opening night, well you get the idea…
I have a small team of amazing volunteers who are helping along the way. Some are helping in the administration side of things, whilst others will be more involved in the physical hanging of the exhibition and the event itself.
I’ve also had great support along the way from Canberra CityNews, Bluethumb, PackItIn (Protective Envelopes for each postcard entry), AHC Studios, Strathnairn Arts Gallery, Barton Estate Winery and ArtsACT to name a few.
Being in Australia has meant that meeting with the TAE Board has required a few late night and early morning Skype calls due to the time difference! Thankfully the TAE Board has been great and are very supportive.
How many postcards have already arrived in Canberra for TAE18?
So far to date we’ve had over 1000 registrations, which is great news! Due to the Christmas period there has been a lull in the number of postcards that have arrived, but more and more are arriving each day. To date we’ve received 110 postcards from approximately 13 different countries.
There is still plenty of time for postcards to arrive, though the sooner they are in the post to get here the better!
What can artists donating a postcard do now to support you in your role as TAE18 curator? The biggest support and impact artists can have aside from creating their postcard is to spread the word! Invite fellow artists to participate – tweet, share on Facebook, Instagram and blogs! Let your local artist groups know about the TAE18AUS and invite them to participate. It’s not too late to register and the more the merrier!
More specific things related to the artist’s actual entry are:
• Check the list to make sure everything is covered.
Is your postcard signed? Have you included the small label for the exhibition space?
• Protect your creation in transit.
A piece of hard board works a treat so it doesn’t need to be fancy – pieces of hard cardboard boxes work well.
• Check that your artwork will not stick to the envelope you’re sending it in.
Also check whether or not it’ll need additional protection inside the envelope
Check that your twitter handle is written correctly.
• Does it have capital letters in the handle?
If you have letters or numbers, it can be hard to see whether an o is an o or a 0.
What has been has been your one favourite thing about being the TAE18 curator so far? One favourite thing is very hard to choose! Every time I open an entry I honestly get so excited. To see the time and care taken by each artist is truly amazing and so inspiring. Each carefully made postcard is created to help others. That in itself is food for the soul.
Will you have time to create and donate your own postcard for TAE18?
I’m definitely planning on creating a special artwork for the TAE18AUS, but I’m not sure exactly what yet! This will be my fifth year in participating. I’ve always donated monotone works, but perhaps this year I’ll create something in colour. I do have a few ideas in mind and hopefully I’ll be able to grab some time in between opening other entries to create it!
Where can people discover more about you and your art work?
People can visit my website https://www.kyliefogarty.com/ where there are examples of my work, a blog, details on how to contact me, links to galleries and online retail sites where you can find my work.
People can visit my website https://www.kyliefogarty.com/ where there are examples of my work, a blog, details on how to contact me, links to galleries and online retail sites where you can find my work.People can keep updated with the very latest news about my work, and preparations for TAE18AUS, by following my social media accounts on Twitter (@KylieFogartyArt), Facebook (@KylieFogartyAustralianArtist), and Instagram (@kyliefogartyart).