According to local artist Patricia Schraven, the idea behind “FOR
SALE” found its roots in similar events happening in other cities.
This is a call-to-work for artists, wherein participants are
asked to re-think the idea of the souvenir, and create NEW objects to be shown
in a temporary POP-UP storefront in the City of Buffalo. “FOR SALE”
will be a one-off exhibition in late June of 2009. Objects must be produced in
multiples. Any medium is acceptable
and encouraged.
The final show will be held in late June at Western New York Book Arts
Center (WNYBAC), the home of Western New York Book Arts Collaborative. There will be an opening event, and the
store will remain open for a few days following.
Schraven is working with her partner in the FOR SALE project,
Nick Bruscia (co-founder of Pecha Kucha Buffalo. They’re building out the space inside WNYBAC to look like a
boutique, and renting an old cash register. “We hope the show is successful as a local alternative
to ‘made in china’ souvenirs, which are basically cold mass-manufactured hunks
of plastic, that do not reflect locality and culture.
On the birth of her concept, Schraven says, “I’ve been an
exhibitor in the Gladstone Hotel’s annual Come Up To My Room show at in
Toronto. It is an off-site exhibit that takes place during the Toronto Interior
Design Show. CUTMR is a venue for more experimental and conceptual design work
that might not fit in on the tradeshow floor. Another influence is the Designboom Mart, which is a
traveling store of small objects made by young designers around the globe. Similarly,
Etsy is an online venue for makers to sell their batch-produced and
made-to-order wares.”
Bruscia and Schraven wanted to co-opt some of these ideas to
stage a design show for Buffalo. The theme of souvenirs is very open, but
entries will most likely have to do with Buffalo or the nearby area.
“We expect entries from a wide range of disciplines, from
graphic designers, craftspeople, all types of fine artists,” Schraven
says. “It will be exciting to
see how [the artists] will represent their ideas with unique objects, while
they blend commercial and artistic practice. The only conditions are the
objects must be produced in multiples (how many is up for discussion), and they
must be able to be sold.”
Those interested can email up to four proposals to: forsalebuffalo@gmail.com, on or before May
14th, 2009. Submissions should include visuals, explanations, and a short bio.
An entry fee of $20 is required, and payments are to be made at
Paypal to: forsalebuffalo@gmail.com