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On Herding Cats

Sharon E Allen

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April 22nd, 2014 - 08:29 AM

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On Herding Cats

Virtually every time I put together a group show or event, I am reminded of the comment (I do not know who the original speaker was) that getting artists to follow rules and deadlines is as difficult as herding cats. We have 4 cats in our house, and I can honestly say that "herding" them is a lot easier than getting artists to comply with deadlines. In one respect, the cats and the artists are the same ... promise free food and they will come! With artists, the promise of prominent press coverage is also a draw for many of them, for some a bigger draw than free food.

For every dozen artists who read the prospectus, follow the rules, and submit their info on time, there are another 3 to 5 who will frantically call or e-mail a day or 2 after the deadline saying "Oh, I totally spaced! Can I still ..." ... insert "send my check", "send my titles", "get in" or some other phrasing that translates as "I had total disregard for your requirements which are trivial and unimportant to me but I still want to be in your show."
Sometimes these requests come just a day or 2 before hanging ... with show date announced a month or more in advance ... and even though my answer is "Sorry, the inventory sheet is already printed and all the tags are made" I will still get "Well then can't I just give you ONE? You can print ONE tag, right?" Um ... no - I print them on SHEETS of business cards and I'm not wasting a whole sheet to print one ... for which you STILL haven't given me price, size, & location of scene ... our next change-out is in June, PLAN to put it in then.

And there's the inevitable comment "Well, can't you just write it in on the inventory sheet and hand-write a tag? I'll do it myself?" or "What if I make my own tag?" Oh sure, why not? - that will look VERY professional! Even though my NHPleinAir Artists group is a mix of professional and hobby artists, when I put together a group show to showcase our works, I do my best to keep our shows as professional looking as possible. One tag that's hand-written can totally destroy the entire look of a show and reflect poorly on the entire GROUP, not to mention on the individual artist. And hand-written entries on the inventory sheet also speak volumes to our host venue, saying "This is not a group to be taken seriously - they're slip-shod and disorganized."

All that said, I fully understand that there are times when things just get out of hand and time runs away from you, and I will sometimes make allowances. But I also find that once I've done that, it seems to be the same people who ALWAYS had a crisis and need special treatment and I've actually recently come to believe that, except in rare circumstances, being "nice" and giving in only serves to enable the behavior! In networking, I learn that the same folks are guilty elsewhere as well! It's a pattern - and they're allowed to get away with it, and so never have to learn the importance of following guidelines and deadlines. And then it snowballs into "Well, you let me in the last time, even though I was late..." Where does it end?

I prefer herding cats ... it's easier, and there are no decision to be made! Put out treats or food, or start flipping the ribbon toy and they'll come and purr and rub my legs and sit in my lap. No wanting a different treat or "I'll come later" - they know to do it NOW and don't argue that they're too busy!

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