Rabbits in the Marketplace
Do you remember to say "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" out loud, first thing, when you wake up on the first day of the month? If you do, you'll have good fortune. If you don’t, no problem. I've been saying, or forgetting to say, those magic words since I was small, and I can predict that Good Luck is on its way regardless!
That paragraph was the lead-in for my newsletter this month, a gentle reminder about rabbits that introduced some thoughts I’ve had recently about marketing in the art world — not the high-power big money kind, but rather, the quieter sort that we artists engage in day-to-day.
Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit, 2020, ink on Masa paper, 9.5 x 12 inches
Because more than you might imagine, and even more than they themselves would like to be doing, artists are thinking about the marketplace as a part of their practice. A fair amount of dread surfaces whenever the word "marketing' is mentioned. I don't know a single artist who would not rather be in the studio making work, than having to promote it according to the latest prescriptions of media gurus. I've spent most of the past year confronting those issues, and questioning them.
Beginning with the word itself, "marketplace," let's see what comes up when the word stands alone, without predictable associations. A rabbit in the desert, so to speak. As it happens, the seed for this essay was planted by a friend with whom I was sharing the thought that I've never seen a rabbit here in Lincolnville. I'll tell why that is later on. But asking why I have no rabbits led me to reframe my understanding of the marketplace. And rabbits being social creatures, I equated "marketplace" with communication, with people sharing ideas and practices that are life-affirming. Mine is an open marketplace where you'll enjoy the sunshine, and has places to shelter from the rain and snow. It's full of kiosks with posters and newspapers. You may hear a cardinal singing down by the creek. My marketplace has paintings and books and music, food for the mind. There are people walking around, or gathering to sit on benches. There are gardens with vegetables and flowers, and edible forests for foraging. It is a marketplace for all seasons, and the most exciting time is right now, as Spring arrives full force this month. No matter where you live, you can come on in to my studio by way of this newsletter and my website. Always in the studio, there's a general excitement that I invite you to explore. This Spring, I'm starting a new group of paintings and I'm planning an open studio in May. And, no matter what the weather or the season, I'm open to visits by appointment and to sharing thoughts via email and phone.
Turns out, rabbits in the marketplace is not about rabbits kept in cages or rabbits strung up for someone's dinner. Rabbits in the marketplace is all about socializing, sharing, and communicating.