The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Needs A New Name
Welcome to the first of two articles I’ll be writing about the Toronto Outdoor Art Festival (TOAE). This article will deal with the necessity of a new name for the TOAE because the one it has does not describe the contents of the package and something must be done.
As it happens every July at Nathan Philips square, the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition came to give us a much needed Art booster shot. It was on for three days this year, July 10th, 11th, and 12th. Cath and I took some time on the Friday afternoon to swing by the festival and see what was on the exhibition block this time. We couldn’t have picked a better day as the weather was perfect and the crowds not so crowded.
We saw many booths filled with artwork. There was realistic painting and abstract alike, sculptural works utilizing traditional materials as well as many types of found materials, watercolours, oil paintings, acrylics and just about every type of artwork you could possibly imagine. We also saw many booths filled with fine crafts. There was glasswork of all kinds, jewellery, pottery, fashion accessories and even clothing available to tantalize the visual senses and this brings me to the title of this article — why the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition needs a new name.
Simply put, based on what we saw that friday, the TOAE is no longer an Art show. It has become an arts and crafts show not unlike the One Of A Kind Show and Sale we see here in T.O. around the Christmas season. So many of the spaces available for artists at the TOAE were filled with craftspeople working in the fields of fine crafts, not Art.
I take great objection to any festival that would tout itself as an Arts festival then fills its available booths with crafts. As far as I’m concerned crafts have no place in an Art show.
Now, before you get that look on your face and call me a jerk or an Art snob, let me state my personal appreciation for the fields of the fine craftsperson. The work that we saw on display from jewellers, potters, wood workers, glass blowers, accessory makers and tailors was beautiful. When the TOAE chooses the artisans that will frequent the square for its three day festival, they choose wisely. There wasn’t a slacker amongst them. Professional displays. Professional work. Every craft within view was exquisitely produced and deserving of admiration and viewing.
That being said, as wonderful as their work was, it didn’t belong in an ART exhibition. Crafts are not Art. They may be creative and very artistic but they are not Art. Sorry folks, they aren’t. That’s why they’re called crafts. But let’s not digress into a semantic argument.
The failing of the festival doesn’t lie with the artists or the craftspeople it displays. It lies with the TOAE itself. The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition’s mandate has changed to include a broader range of creative endeavours, endeavours that the world of Art alone is not capable of producing. That’s fine.
Unfortunately the inclusion of crafters into the exhibition means the exclusion of artists from the exhibition. It’s simple math. The more booths held by craftspeople the less room there is to show artists and their work, which is what we’re led to believe the exhibition is all about — Art. And it’s not like the TOAE can just dump the crafts from their roster either. They have separate categories with separate awards and separate benefactors for every type of craft on display at Nathan Philips Square. Crafts are here to stay people.
I have no objection with that. The TOAE has the power to display whatever it wants. That’s their choice. I encourage that type of freedom. Great.
My objection, as I’ve stated earlier, is that The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition is no longer strictly an Art exhibition and it needs to change its name to reflect the changes in what its going to display every July in Toronto. Their name is false advertising and in the long run it’s hurting artists.
Chances are, by the tone of this article, you’ve caught on to the fact that I’m a little pissed off with the TOAE. You may also have conjectured that my ire is probably derived from having been denied entry into the show. You’d be right, three times now to be exact. But, before you go shrugging this article off as the petty ramblings of a snubbed participant, please read the rest. My anger has a purpose beyond soothing my own fragile ego.
Three times I’ve been denied by a festival that proclaims to be an Art exhibition and three times I’ve gone to Nathan Philips to see a show populated with craftspeople, not artists. Why? It’s bad form on the part of the TOAE and I find that irksome.
Cath and I picked up the 2009 exhibition guide from the festival while we were there. I wanted to see just how many craftspeople were chosen to be in the show this year. I went through the guide and counted how many booths were filled with persons who designated themselves under the fibre, jewellery, glass, ceramics, wood and metal categories. Some of these people may have been traditional sculptors working in those specific materials, but there was also a sculpture category they could have chosen.
I stopped counting when I got to just over 100 craftspeople. There was a little less than half the show listing still to go through. That meant that at least 100 crafters were at the show taking up spaces that artists have reasonably been led to assume are for artists — not crafters.
And this is what really burns my wick. As an artist I’m always looking out for opportunities to further my own business and yes, I run my art career as a business. I want this to be my sole source of income. I don’t want to do anything else. Art is my passion. Art is my life. Based on the title of the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and with the work that I do as a “Capital A” artist, I view the festival as one of those career developing opportunites. What a great chance to show my paintings to the world, possibly open up new markets, make new clients and make some money to boot!
Unfortunately, that has never happened and the fault lies with the TOAE.
When my rejection letter from the TOAE arrived this year, it went into my Big Book of Rejection with the other two letters I’ve received from previous failed attempts. I figured this year would be a no brainer that I’d be out there in Nathan Philips square for sure what with my new work, its “originality in conception and execution, quality and consistency of workmanship and excellence of design”, all the things that the TOAE is looking for in a prospective exhibition participant. Nope.
On the letter it didn’t tell me why my work was not accepted into the show. Rejection letters rarely do. It did allude to the fact that my work may have been “exceptionally talented” or “passionately committed” but alas, there were only 500 spots for 1200 applicants and there just wasn’t room enough for everyone. Sorry about your luck Mr. Chappell, try again next year.
Usually, whenever I get denied for inclusion in a show or a government grant or an art opportunity I always make the false assumption that the fault lies with me. My proposal wasn’t good enough. My work wasn’t good enough. I’m just a bad artist and I should hang up my brushes, throw in my painting rags and give up. I won’t lie to you. It’s a kick in the ego and it sucks. We’re taught from an early age that being number one is where it’s at — getting 100% on a test, winning the little league championship, etc – and a rejection letter simply won’t get you there.
But I’ve learned over the last few years to put my ego on the backburner when it comes to this type of situation and it has given me new found clarity when faced with a rejection letter. Now I examine the situation, find out why the intended outcome was not acheived and try to make the necessary changes to acheive success in the future. In this case, I think any changes that need to be made should be made within the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and it needs to start with its name. A little truth in advertising would be a good start.
I was foolish to believe that the TOAE was striclty an Art exhibition anymore. I’ve been there many years in the past. I know what they exhibit and I should have known better than to bother to apply. With knowledge in hand, I applied anyway. More fool me.
But what about other artists? What about artists who don’t live in Toronto or have never been able to make it to the exhibition before, artists who have to apply blindly to the exhibition not realizing that their efforts are already severely hampered by the TOAE’s dedication of inclusion of crafters in the show? It simply isn’t an Art show anymore and the room for artists in Nathan Philips square seems to be getting smaller every year.
Fully one fifth, if not more of the available spaces in the 2009 exhibition were filled with craftspeople and regardless of how skillfully their works were created they were still craftspeople, not artists. That means that over 100 artists, artists not unlike myself, artists who were reasonably expecting to get into an Art exhibition were turned away from spaces that artists should have filled if we’re to believe the name of this festival that graces the city every July.
There were 1200 applicants for only 500 spaces. Of the 700 who were turned away, how many of them were artists not crafters? Of those artists who were turned away, how many of them had been led to falsely believe that the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition was an Art exhibition, not an arts and crafts festival? How many of them are pissed off like I am?
I’m using my voice here. I think it’s time that you let your voices be heard too. I’m going to post some contact links to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition and the office of Mayor David Miller at the bottom of this article. Please feel free to use them to contact the people involved in this farce and let them know exactly how you feel. It’s your right as a Canadian. Freedom of speech baby. Gotta love it!
If the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition wants to show arts and crafts together I’m all for that but it needs to do something about its name before other artists unwittingly apply to an Art exhibition they have absolutely no chance of getting into.
There is great cultural history in the world of Art. There is tradition and there is exploration. There are also deeply ingrained societal ideas of what Art has been, is and should be that come with a certain amount of prestige and notariety. The very word “Art” is synonymous with a set of ideals and preconceived notions that are part of its strength and its allure. The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibitiion uses the rich cultural history of Art to attract patrons and participants to its event yet it fails to follow through on its designation as an Art exhibition. Their title is misleading and does a diservice to the Art community — it’s false advertising and must be changed.
For now, that is all. Goodnight.
Contact the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibtion (TOAE)
Contact Mayor David Miller
Article of interest: What We Liked At The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition.
P.S. If you found this article a little acidic click on on the link above to read about what we actually enjoyed at the TOAE. That should cheer you up!
