The theft of my Honesty Box art (and does a sign make all the difference?)
Getting people to care about my artwork is the second in my Quest Of The Four Questions (right after getting more human beings see my artwork).
There was a time when no one cared for Picasso's silly triangles or Damien Hirst’s gaudy gold art because tomorrow’s masterpieces are unloved today. Or worse, unnoticed.
So I did two things this week with my World’s 1st Ever Honesty Box Gallery Exhibition to inspire care (and a thief - or the wind - but more on that in a moment).
First, I displayed my hand written sign that explains the story of the Honesty Box on a prominent window ledge in Clarence Street. I’ve learnt the voodoo magic of a story to ignite human imagination (and watched as passersby read it).
Second, price is the town crier of value so I added $120 price tags to some of my personally signed original prints.
What happened? Upon returning less than an hour later they were gone (accompanied by a spike in visits to my website from that location).
Some may be shaken by the prospect of a thief in my midst who took valuable unattended goods but what better proof that a human being cares about my artwork? (after all, the greatest artists have been subject to art heists).
On a quainter note I also shared this Emma and Tom’s juice print with the owner’s of that brand and gifted a number of similar pieces to the architectural firm whose window ledge I used above. It showed me the power of telling a story not to passing foot traffic but one on one, to individuals that inspires care.
There was also a near-miss for serendipity. I wrote a note on facebook to Gumption Coffee (in The Strand, Sydney) after a print of mine was collected by their wait staff. I was contacted by someone who’d flown in to see the Archibald Prize and missed finding it by merely 15 minutes.
Where will the Honesty Box take me next? I’ll soon find out.
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Previous post: What happens when art is left on a seat? (and other public places)
The whole journey: 'World's 1st Ever Honesty Box Gallery Exhibition' Adventure
