2014 continues to be the year of new experiences and checkpoints reached. I am going to be sad in a few months when it comes to a close, but excited for all the possibilities that 2015 will have in store for me.
Most recently, I sent out an application via email with some jpegs attached and waited for a response to gain acceptance into what would be my first venture into hanging my art up on a wall (that was not my own) and have it proudly displayed for stranger upon stranger to view. If selected, my work would hang for just over a month, my name, photo, and bio, displayed alongside it for these strangers to learn a little bit more about me. After a period of time had passed, I began thinking I didn’t make the cut. Especially once I learned that only 10 – 15 artists were being selected for this exhibit. Perhaps it was self doubt, or me just being plain o’l antsy, but I decided it wasn’t happening and that was alright (as an artist you get used to silent rejection on basically a daily basis).Well, to my surprise an email response came the next day. The first sentence made me feel like I was being set up for a gracious let down, “Thank you for your recent submission…” the expected thank you for submitting your work statement — and then bam — “I am delighted to inform you that your work has been chosen to become part of this exhibition.” !!!! Yes.
Frames were then quickly ordered, and very cost effectively acquired via Jerrysartarama.com . I tracked/stalked their delivery via online tracking (I love technology sometimes, I really truly do). The day they arrived I opened the giant box and began to frame my own paintings for the very first time in my life. This was a wondrous and beautiful endeavor, never before had I seen my work in such a polished and finished state. If you paint and have never framed a work of your own, I implore you — go out and do it. 
Then this past Thursday, I rode out to Garden City’s Roosevelt Field Mall to where the exhibit is set to take place — the Bloomingdale’s Furniture Gallery. There among other artists I was led through the different rooms (this place is a giant maze if you haven’t been there before) and given a few options on rooms to hang my work, as well as to hang it as I chose. Once I had made a selection — above a bed — I was given nails, hooks, and told I was free to hang.
Left there alone, I thought, “Does that mean I can just climb on the bed?”
::looks around, shrugs, removes shoes, climbs on bed, starts hammering::
Half an hour later they were up. Thank goodness I happened to be carrying a hammer in my purse and had decent matching socks on my feet!
For more information on the show you can Visit Bloomingdale’s Event Page Here
2014 BLOOMINGDALE’S AND LONG ISLAND ARTS ALLIANCE ART EXHIBIT
September 10, 2014 – October 26, 2014
Bloomingdale’s, Long Island Arts Alliance and the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are pleased to present a collaborative art exhibition during September’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, a prelude to the celebration of Arts Alive LI – October Arts Month!
Latin Americans come from over 20 countries and have a wide array of customs and rich and varied histories. That’s why celebrating Latino culture is a bit like eating tapas: you get to try a little sampling of everything. This exhibit is designed to celebrate Long Island’s rich Hispanic artistic heritage by presenting a sampling of works by artists of Hispanic descent specializing in several different artistic styles.
