#art, What I learned from «Atrévete» last month…

From the 12th of October, 2023 to the 22nd, «Atrévete,» my first art exhibition in the city of Valencia, was open to the public. During those eleven days we received over 2000 visitors. Atrévete was held at the Sala d’Exposicions de Ciutat Vella, an exhibition hall of the City of Valencia, Spain.

I have been professionally involved in the art world since 1996 and I have had my art exhibited in many galleries, shows, fairs, festivals and other venues throughout the years but this experience was totally different. First it was in a museum and it was my first, non-commercial, exhibition-only type show. Many of the visitors were willing and quite ready, to purchase my art, but they had to be turned down and advised to contact Omnia Caelum Studios (OCS) Valencia after the show.

Second, we (and here I speak in the name of out team at OCS Valencia) were tasked with curating and hanging the paintings, decorating the halls (there were four floors of exhibition space for us to fill), designing, printing and distributing the information cards and the invitations to the vernissage. We also had to do the entrance/outside sign, the bio cards and other information-providing literature that was placed at different parts of the exhibit. We also contacted a jazz saxophonist to play at the vernissage. It was a big endeavour, but thanks to the team at Omnia Caelum Studios Valencia (which I have thanked in another post https://paintinginvalencia.com/2023/10/26/art-os-quiero-y-os-agradezco-el-apoyo-i-love-you-and-appreciate-your-support-2/) we were quite successful indeed.

So what did I learn?

I learned that people still love, dearly love, art! We were swamped throughout the duration of the exhibition! Even before the team arrived every morning there were people at the door… I was there every day greeting folk, answering questions, posing for photos and even signing autographs! The experience was amazing and has left me humbled and filled with gratitude to God, to my dear team, and to all who came to visit the museum.

Among the many conversations, with so many people, the most interesting ones were with young folk starting out in art. But the ones with seasoned veterans, who collected and were genuinely interested in art history, were also an exhilarating and learning experience. I loved every minute of my time at the exhibition!

So, besides learning how to plan, execute and operate a major museum exhibition, I learned a lot about human behaviour and about how truly important art, original art, is in the lives of many, many people.

We are horribly misguided by what the «media» presents as «public opinion.» What I saw out there, in the centre of a big city, while engaged in a museum exhibition, was that people still crave knowledge, they are still are mesmerised with art and assuredly place a lot of interest in history, not just art history. And I understood that people still had good taste.

People can easily discern between art that is worked, developed and thought through from «art» which is nothing more than paint splashed, or dripped, upon a canvas. That was comforting and reassuring. And I am not saying this because they liked my work, but because we talked at length about good and bad art and artists that think they can get away with rubbish in the name of personal expression.

I look forward to Omnia Caelum Studios Valencia doing more work in the city and as well in other cities of Europe, (hopefully to the US too). We are committed and engaged in the effort to bring knowledge of art to the people. And not just through this blog and through our YouTube Channel (www.YouTube.com/@FranciscoBravoCabrera) but also by doing public exhibitions, holding seminars and lecture meetings. That is definitely in our plans. Keep in touch…

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