Exhibition opening 04/05/13

The day finally arrived  it was the 4th May and nerves of excitement had kicked in. Myself, Jenny, Jess and Samantha arrived at the apothecaries hall at 10:45 am to set up. As the drawing and book binding materials for the workshops needing to be put out and also the refreshments needed o be ready for the opening at 12. With us all working together setting up was a doddle. Al we had to do know was to wait for the public. With the drawing workshop we drew a few things on the paper ourselves, as we didn't want a big sheet of blank paper immediate the public and deter them away from taking part. With a steady flow of people coming in, we got people of all ages to join in. he most rewarding to see was young kids just going for it, not being afraid and just expressing themselves an having fun. I am still taken aback by one 6 year old girls drawing of a flower. It was by far the best drawings of the entire day. Just getting people to have fun and adding a mark of their own to our opening day made it all worthwhile, as it was the public that were paying to come to view our work. I myself wasn't at the bookmaking workshop that much as i was manning the drawing workshop. But from what I heard off the other group members it was just as successful if not more so than the drawing workshop. As the day went on, and as it slowly died down it was time to pack up and do a bit of tidying.
Starting with the materials from the workshops. Tidying up an mess left over from the workshops, bits of charcoal etc. Then clearing up any mess from the refreshments table. Then it was time for the hard graft when we had to remove the tables and chairs and put them into storage. The last thing on our list was to decide whether or not to leave the drawing workshop outcomes on the walls or whether to take them down. As a collective we decided they should stay. Mainly because it added a sense of playfulness to the room and brought a more personal feel, as the public had a joint part in the making of the exhibition. In addition it actually complimented the first year prints that were hanging. They incorporated the same colours and source material, and they just seemed to fit together really nicely. So with that it was time to leave. The opening was thankfully a great success and all the build up to it, the hard work we put in was all worth it in the end. This was most certainly a steep learning curve and has given me a great deal of experience for when i leave  my degree and try and make a living for myself. With future exhibitions i hope they go as well as this one has. Until next time..