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07/20/2009: "SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT"
So, I just got another speaking engagement for art's sake.
It's pro bono and should be fun. I'll be keynote speaker at the National Association of Independent Artists' (naia-artists.org) annual conference at the end of September. This will mark the second time I've spoken at this conference. Cool. This year, it's set for Peoria, Illinois, not the art capital of the world, but here's the thing. It's not that far away. I can drive there within a day, stay in a nice hotel overnight and maybe even see some art in a city I've never visited. What can be better? It'll kick off Peoria Fine Art Fair weekend which I won't be able to attend. Work beckons.
A
s I've gotten older, I've learned to drop my preconceived notions about people and places. It's the only way to travel. You just have to get up early, pack your bags, do a little Googling, get in your car or hop a plane and GO. Just GO. I've never been to Peoria, but soon I will be able to say I have. The cool thing is ... if you're an art collector, it's not just about the art or the artists. It's really about getting out there and collecting EXPERIENCES. I usually tell people that collecting isn't just about the art. It's about being open to life and new things ... no matter where life takes you. Pack your bags, but leave your baggage.
Would I rather be going to Paris, Amsterdam, London or Vancouver? Wouldn�t you? One day I will get to those places, but like charity, world travel begins at home. I have to tell you that much if not most of what I've learned in life has come through travel. I've met some very interesting people within the confines of trains, planes and automobiles. There's something about travel that frees people up and takes them out of their day to day, hum-drum existence. I've actually noticed this while sitting in airports. People actually seem to have this sense of freedom. Stepping out of your mundane routine tends to have that effect on people. Hop a plane and lighten your load. Suddenly, you're no longer some grunt with a number who shows up for work every day. You've been freed. You become reacquainted with your true self and you can even re-invent yourself during your travel time if you'd like. However, this is the very thing that can get some people into trouble. You don't want to re-invent yourself TOO MUCH while away. The next thing you know, you're in handcuffs being hauled downtown for questioning. I would imagine this happens a lot in Las Vegas.
Anyway, an art dealer friend once told me that art people are a different breed. She said they tend to be folks who just set out on their own and explore. That definitely describes me. It's interesting because I've been this way since childhood. I actually remember being a kid and walking through art museums and being spellbound. Nothing has changed. It was all about me exploring art and finding myself in the art. There's an overwhelming sense of aloneness in this exercise. Many people may find it unbearably lonely. I'll admit that it's a bit lonely, but I really find it exhilarating and enlightening. One of the great benefits of traveling alone is it makes you strong. Sooner or later, you become immune to petty annoyances like backbiting and criticism. Even compliments can be kept in their proper place. By the time critics critique, you've long moved on to the next thing.
For some reason, I�m thinking about something that happened to me back in second grade. One day after school, I missed the bus that would've taken me back home. I remember running outside the school building (P.S. 135, Brooklyn, New York) and seeing my bus take off while I yelled, "Wait! Wait!" Have you ever had anything or anyone leave without you? Talk about lonely. At that point, I said to myself, "I guess I'll have to walk!" It never occurred to me that I should go back inside the school building and tell someone that I had missed the bus. So, I started on my trek home. I recall walking along what I recall was the huge, multi-lane Kings Parkway. I saw so many things: bums on the street, kids playing in city parks, but mostly lots and lots of cars and traffic lights. I now call it "Urban Realism." What a canvas! I also recall wearing a heavy brown coat and carrying a brown book bag, both of which left me in a heavy sweat by the time I arrived home.
When I made it upstairs to our apartment, my mom screamed, "Oh my God! Where have you been? We called the police!" That's when I told her what had happened. "You walked THAT WHOLE WAY?" she asked. "Don't ever do that again!" I recall her saying with fear curbed by love. "Next time, go back into the school and tell someone!" she said.
Telling tales wasn't my thing back then, I guess. However, the very next day in school, my teacher Mrs. Klein (a heavyset woman, who sported the world's biggest bouffant hairdo, jet black, cat-eyed glasses with chain around her neck and a girdle that went "SWISH" "SWISH" when she walked) had me stand up before the class and tell everyone what had happened. I vaguely remember the other kids being impressed by my story. Whatever. All I knew is that I had to get home and it was up to me. I got to see plenty of real life art during that long walk. It was all about immersion.
Things really haven't changed that much. I'm still a solitary creature who loves setting off on my own ... especially during art trips. While I certainly have "dream art cities," I'll go practically anywhere if art is in the mix and I suspect the people will be pleasant. Soon, it'll be all about Peoria. What will I see? Who knows? Where will I go? Who knows? What kind of speech will I give? I'm not sure, but I have a strange feeling it'll be about art, exploration and urban realism. Oh ... and this time, I won't be shy. I'll sing like a canary. I look at it this way. If I play in Peoria, I�ll play anywhere.
MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING BOOK, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL." CHECK OUT HIS BRAND NEW WEBSITE AT WWW.ARTBOOKGUY.COM
