A HEARTWARMING TALE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

So the other night we had perhaps one too many at one of the Glittering Art Soirees that are mandatory this time of year, and got to chatting with artist friends about the Roadshow Biennial Marfa that The Biennial Project is hosting this coming April.

One of our co-conspirators, who had had, if we are to be entirely honest, perhaps two too many, suggested that we should ask our favorite art critic Jerry Saltz to jury the show with us.

At the time this sounded like just the most daring and Biennial Project thing to do, so we agreed with said co-conspirator that he should chat the old boy up and see if he was game.

What a surprise then when we awakened the next day to find that the aforementioned co-conspirator had face-booked his friend Jerry and asked him to jury our show.

Egad we thought - what would ever have given him the idea to do such a thing? What could he have been thinking? Seriously, that man drinks too much.

But as it happens around the holidays, everything happens for a purpose, and the purpose is always good.

And the purpose of our little adventure was to confirm that Sir Jerry Saltz is indeed not only the best major critic writing in the English language today, but also just the nicest and most decent famous person out there.

Not only did he answer our sorry little asses (OK, maybe not SO little this time of year), but he gave us a rejection letter that surely will reign forever as the most goddamned sweet rejection letter of all time.

Herewith:

On Wednesday, December 18, 2013 11:37 PM, Jerry Saltz wrote:

I want to – but I am so so so busy these days.

NYM is stopping publishing weekly and going bi-weekly; means MORE on-line writing for me; Whitney Biennial is March, etc., etc.

I am poor; you are poor: Bad match.

You don’t have enough to pay me. I can’t work for less than I charge – which is WAY more than you have.

I LOVE being asked; your lives there are so so much bigger than mine here.

I truly envy you all for these lives lived in art…

Thank you; I am honored to have been asked,

Really.

Sigh,

Jerry

OK Biennial Project friends, If you can find us a more generous rejection letter, we will print it in our blog - but we know you can't because such a thing would be outside the realm of human possibility.

Other than the general niceness, there are three things worth pointing out about this response:

Jerry Saltz thinks we're poor. Is it that obvious? Maybe we should stop cutting our own hair to save money. But more importantly,

Jerry Saltz thinks we're artists. How many times have we tried to explain this to you?  Take THAT, painters of fruit - we told you so!

Jerry Saltz thinks we're much bigger than him. OK, now we're just melting in a warm pool of wonderful.  LADADADADADA! LADADADADADA!

While we still have visions of invites to major biennials dancing in our heads, and definitely plan to achieve our goal of becoming super famous in the coming year, until then, this will do nicely. And they say there is no Santa Clause!

Now, be well-behaved children and go follow the good Mr. Saltz on face-book and wherever else you find him, so that you can enjoy his refreshing take on art and the art world - and don't forget to tell him The Biennial Project sent you!

js

(US with Jerry outside the Whitney Biennial Preview Party last year.)

YOUR INVITATION TO SHOW YOUR WORK AT BIENNIAL ROADSHOW MARFA

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The Biennial Project is pleased to announce an open call to artists worldwide for Biennial Roadshow Marfa 2014 - an online juried competition and screen digital presentation.

If your rousing work is selected it will be shown on our very busy website and in a blog posting reaching over 3,000 art world movers and shakers.

Best of all - your art will be presented as part of a giant screen digital display at The Biennial Roadshow Marfa 2014 Hoodang* and Gala (that is a reception for you non-Texans) being held at world-renowned El Cosmico, the coolest gathering spot for trend-makers in the art-world Mecca of Marfa, Texas.

This glittering shindig is being held on Friday April 4th, 2014 - where all selected art work will be seen by the contemporary artists and artisans who inhabit or visit this Western hamlet and by The Biennial Project’s massive entourage who will be in Marfa that entire week. This is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Much better.

The Jurors will be the members of The Biennial Project - plus a special celebrity guest juror to be announced.

marfablog2Now, you may ask  - why Marfa, Texas?

Well for those of you who might not know – prepare to get all fired up, because this tiny town perched on the high plains of the Chihuahua desert is nothing less than an art’s world station of the cross, like Art Basel in Miami, or Documenta in Germany.

It's a blue-chip arts desmarfablog5tination for the sort of glamorous scenesters who visit Amsterdam for the Rijksmuseum and the drugs.

It all started when the acclaimed minimalist artist Donald Judd left New York City in the 1970s for this dusty dot of a town. He wanted to escape the art scene he claimed to disdain.

With the help of the DIA Foundation, Judd acquired an entire Army base, and before he died in 1994, he filled it with art, including light installations by Dan Flavin and Judd's own signature boxes. Now it’s a whole creative community.

An extremely fashionable and well-connected creative community. A creative community that needs to see your work.

How can you turn down a shot at fame and fortune like this? You might get so rich you can eat fried chicken all week! More chicken any man ever seen!

The potential for exposure is enormous! You’ll be running with the big dogs here.

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It’s a no brainier…we want you to enter! We want the world to see your creations. We want you to be celebrated and wealthy. You must enter!!! You can be as happy as a boardinghouse pup if you do!

Once again all selected work will be displayed on our website gallery and in a blog posting that reaches an audience of 3,000. Your work will also will be included in a digital art display to be shown at The Biennial Project's Biennial Roadshow Marfa 2014 Hoodang and Gala.

In addition, the artist who is bestowed the title of Marfa Town Marshall (The Grand Prizewinner) will have a solo gallery show on our website, and a solo blog posting of 15 pieces or his/her work to our on-line audience of over 3,000.


ENTRY PROCEDURE:
Go to biennialroadshow.com and click the ENTER NOW link or simply click this link:

ENTER THE BIENNIAL ROADSHOW MARFA

APPLICATION DEADLINE: All application materials must be submitted by 12pm EST February 14th, 2014.

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**For you behind-the-times urbanites, a hoodang is defined in the Urban Dictionary as "a party, festival or celebration. This word is used in the southern region of the USA to describe informal get-togethers that involve dancing and playing the fiddle such as hoedowns and lynchings. EX "Hoowee! Boy, that sure was a fun hoodang!" "Which one? The dance, or when we hung that guy for lookin at our women?""There are so many, I forget which one." "both: HOOOWEE!". Or “Hoowee! Boy, this sure will be a fun hoodang! We’ll get all gussied up and paint the town and the front porch then shoot out the lights. You can throw your Stetson over the windmill!!”

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HOOWEE!