Oh, I love this on so many levels. This is the latest series by St.Louis, Missouri based artist Katie Donovan. I’m going to let her explain the smart, insightful, and hilarious ins & outs of this work:
“If No Publicity Is Bad Publicity, Am I Any Good?” is a drawing and performance-based project. In creating this work I was thinking about my experience as an artist and a question posed by the Jealous Curator, Danielle Krysa. Often when Krysa interviews artists she asks them how they introduce themselves at parties. Generally Krysa asks this to see if they feel comfortable claiming their art calling and how they describe their day-to-day work. Often when I tell people that I am an artist, specifically a draftsman/drawer, they immediately ask, “Are you any good?” I find this question more compelling than insulting. While I assume that these individuals are actually inquiring whether I can draw realistically or not, this question has provoked me to consider the artist as a worker, albeit a very different kind of worker. I decided to make a series of drawings advertising myself as an artist, but in the way that one would advertise themselves as a dog walker, house cleaner, or babysitter. I added the type of imagery that I typically use in my drawings to give the viewer a sample of what I am selling, so to speak. I also added value-based statements about myself as an artist to continue to play with the question, “Are you any good?”
During the fall of 2017 I will be putting these drawings up in public places. Look out for a piece from “If No Publicity Is Bad Publicity, Am I Any Good?” in Starbucks, at the park, in a gallery or any other public space near you.
Are you really hoping these show up in your city? Me too! So. Smart. {ps. Also, honored to have been a tiny catalyst for this… who knew!?}
