The 10 years Album of Annual Artists Open Studios

 

Dear Friends, 

Hahaha, I'm laughing, it's Monday, again and this letter is longer than usual. 

Let's talk about these little secret pleasures we all have secretly (I insist) developed lately. Because I'm dying to know about yours, I'm going to confess mine: I kept all my appointments, engagements notes, events, reminders etc etc on my calendar, I did not delete one of them when the confinement started.

So, every morning, when I open my computer, beside what I really have to do, I can also see WHAT I DON'T HAVE TO DO and this is joyous.

No more "laundry pick up before 6!!!!!!", or "7pm reception Embassy, must head at 5pm", "meeting with Paul" "meeting with Helen", "Opening Lucas-Queens Gallery 53mn train", "call back Raja", "clean Guest bedroom", "appointment DMV Atlantic Center" or "Risa" or "West Side Story, B & 53". 

But this morning, I was a bit sad to read on the calendar "Artists Open Studios Week", my and everyone's favorite event of the year. For a whole week and weekend, 51 Bergen is fully open to the public. It will not happen this year. 

We will not present the group show called "Friend of a Friend" where each of the Invisible Dog resident artists is invited to present the artwork of a friend they love (the friend, the artwork, or both) in addition to a series of in house artists performances. Plus on est de fous...*

We will not open the door of all the studios, the artists will not greet hundreds of visitors over the weekend, answer thousands of questions. We will not get ready for the Saturday night BBQ Party in the garden, followed by the after party at SAM with curfew at 7am for everyone to be ready and fresh at 12pm on Sunday. 

Dura Lex, Sed Lex*. 

They will not be all together in their beloved building - they even love its dust, can you believe it? - and the weekend will not ends with an emotional email I like to send to everyone, to tell them how much I'm proud and happy to work with them and how much I love them. My annual dad moment. 

For 2020, I tried to evoke them digitally with some online-sort-of-thing, in a kind of easy, low key way, the way they like... but you know how dad can be respected and listened to, but also totally ignored. 2020 will be the latter. 

Not a second vanquished, and with the precious help of Arly Maulana, ID gallery manager and Simon Courchel, we spent our Sunday yesterday to put together 10 years of photo-archives of Artists Open Studios.

They were 5 resident artists in October 2009, they are 23 today, and 70 over the last 10 years. 

One of them, Mac Premo,- he made us win 5 Emmy Awards last week - likes to call Bergen Street "Sesame Street" He is right. "It's idyllic" he says.   

Oops, it's 9.30am already, and my calendar shows all the appointments of the day I won't have to honor. Busy day! 

"We will meet again" said Queen Elizabeth. We can believe her.
The Annual Artists Open Studio too. 

Oh, last thing: many of you asked how they can read the previous (confined) newsletters. They are all here now! 


Coronarely yours,
Lucien Zayan
Director

*The law is harsh but it is the law.
** The more the merrier 

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