Lessons from the exhibition

As the final day of the Art and Literacy exhibition comes to a close, I can sit here with a real sense of achievement. I am grateful that I managed to pull it all together and get the work displayed in, as I have been told by a veteran art exhibiter, a unique way. He said this as a positive compliment as he does not recall attending an exhibition displaying both poetry and illustration together in this way, and as a man who has attended exhibitions for the best part of forty years, I take this as a win. So the first thing I learnt is that, my decision to display both the poetry and illustrations in this way offers people a new and exciting experience as far as art exhibitions go.

I have to say that I am grateful to have been offered The Barn in Houlton, it is not everyday that you get the chance to use a space free of charge. As I wanted to host for at least three days, the three Tuesdays in May seemed to be the best option for me. In hindsight, I feel that perhpas this was not the best choice and that finding a venue that could offer an entire weekend would have been better, even if it did come at a cost. There are two reasons that I feel this would work better for me; I have had to take the exhibition down and set it back up three times which leaves space for damages to the art workbeing exhibited and is a timely process. Also, Tuesday's isnt a great day, with people being at work all day then having their evening routines, it has meant the traffic in and out of the exhibition has predominantly been friends and family, even with me putting over three-thousand fliers out into the local area!

I also recognise that, as much of a delight it has been to come home and get this all off-the-ground in my home town, for future exhibitions I will try to focus on reaching out into the communities that will be attracted to the exhibition for it's poetic and artistic brilliance. This would mean trying to exhibit in the hustle and bustle of inner cities that are known for their artistic communities.

All in all, it has been a wonderful experience and has given me an insight into the realms of art exhibitions which will only allow for improvements the next time I choose to exhibit.

I also want to express my gratitude to my good friend Callum for supporting me with the set up and take down each week!

A final note, I have written a book, that alone is worth celebrating, especially as a man who once faced the harsh realities expulsion from school can lead to.