In September of 2005, I had a solo exhibition at Gallery 76 in Wenatchee,
WA. I exhibited a number of older works. I also had an interactive station
in which viewers were encouraged to send a letter to me in Pittsburgh. I
had just moved from Washington State to Pittsburgh and I was unable to attend
the opening of the exhibit. I asked the viewers to tell me about themselves
because I found it unfortunate that I would never meet them.
I received approximately 40 letters. The letters were heartwarming, funny,
insightful, heavy, intimate, and most of all very generous and interesting.
I decided that I needed to write “thank you” letters to everyone
who sent me a letter. I spent a month creating hand-made “thank-you”
letters to express my gratitude and appreciation.
From the Gallery Director:
Hey
John,
What a lovely surprise to receive your card to the boys and us (they are
4 and a half, by the way). People all over here are running up to me with
your cards in hand, so excited to have heard from you. I did not know that
you were planning to do this, but it has absolutely affected peoples' feelings
about you and the show--some are moved almost to tears by the time and energy
you have put into these. It is great to see people comparing theirs, too,
because it shows how individual and heart-felt your responses are. This
is such a nice way of extending your exhibition in time and space beyond
the gallery--it ties things up very nicely.
Scott Bailey
February 2006
Click for Sample Letters from the Viewers.
