Enter No

"But that's what being an artist is - feeling crummy before everyone else feels crummy." -The New Yorker

April 14, 2010

Dear Mr. Alba,

Thank you very much for submitting your work for consideration. Unfortunately, we cannot accept it at this time, as our galleries are fully scheduled for the next two years. However, if you are still interested in a future exhibition, please...

Dear Ms. Kretz,

Thank you very much for submitting your work for consideration. Unfortunately, we cannot accept it at this time...

Dear Mr. Wynn,

Thank you very much for submitting...

Day ten. Another Wednesday, a couple extra hours, and a box full of artists to reject. Artists continually send slides, CDs, binders, huge envelopes of their work to the galleries on campus, all very earnestly requesting an exhibition, a wall, anythingpleaseforpete'ssakethankyouverymuch. And someone needs to tell them that unfortunately, we cannot accept it at this time, as our galleries are fully scheduled for the next two years.

It's been awhile. "Some of these are pretty old; they've been here since before I got here two years ago."

I open one of the envelopes. "Oh hey. 2004. I was going through puberty."

23 artists and 23 exhibits we will probably never see at Geneseo. That's not such a bad thing in some cases.

"These kind of remind me of Andy Warhol plus Van Gogh plus medieval Jesus paintings."
"Yeah, I don't particularly like them."

Dear Ms. Kim, Ms. DeSalvlo, Mr. Navarra...

Thank you very much for submitting your work...