An Extraordinary Experience In Store

A Note From FreeWee --

I pride myself in getting to know the works submitted to the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge each month. It is not only my responsibility, but also my joy. The unique opportunity to live with the objects of creative minds -- to spend quality time with them -- is the greatest benefit of my job as curator.

The development of my sense of what we have is something that comes gradually. It's rare (though it does happen) that I completely grasp a piece on first sight. It is only through handling each piece and being exposed to it day after day that the depth of what we have becomes apparent. This is especially true when we have high numbers of entries, as we do this month. I often have to shuffle things around purely on instinct because there's no time to make reasoned decisions. But at some point it comes time to document the work. Taking multiple photos of each piece every month is my time to really look at them. And that's when I get the flood of OMG moments.

Each month has its own flavor. It's interesting to see several similar works come in from different artists working independently. There often seems to be trends in what people are doing. Not so this month. I've just begun documenting the July entries. I felt excitement about this round from early on. I knew we had some strong pieces. But they just kept on coming. With 73 entries, I think this is one of the top months for quality we've had this year. I've already had a bunch of OMG moments and I'm just getting started.

My point with all this is to encourage you to come see the fabulous work, but especially to plan to take the time to really look at it. This is not the place to visit on roller skates. Bring a friend. Look at each piece and talk about it. I think you'll be as amazed as I am by the depth that emerges from exploring the details and really coming to understand the work.

-FreeWee