In this ongoing series of posts, we ask Craft Show artists to reflect on their favorite memories from shows past. Ping Wu, pictured here, is a wearable fiber artist whose work appeared in the 2014 Craft Show and will appear again in 2015.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is the most prestigious contemporary fine craft event in the country. You know how good an artist is just by knowing how many years she has been selected to this show. So, each year when I walk in to the show site, I am full of gratitude. It’s truly like walking into a museum, except you can physically touch and even own a piece you’d normally admire in a magazine. You also get to talk with the artists behind those beautiful objects. They are masters in their fields, yet I’m touched by their kindness and willingness to help others.
The truth is, living and working as handmade craft artists is hard in this fast-paced modern society. We live on unstable income and most of us reside in remote areas where the cost of living is more affordable. It takes days to prepare for the production of the show, with a lot of investment. During those days, we have very little rest. Yet at this show we are treated with such care and respect by the committee members. They make sure we're well fed and tend to us like mothers. The show is so good; we are so busy that we often don't have a chance to thank everyone for making it all possible for us, but there should be an award for those wonderful people behind the scenes.
One of my favorite Craft Show moments was last year when the image of me wearing one of my Bubble Hats inside of my booth was put up as a front web page on the Show’s Facebook site. It’s still my best show picture—even without any makeup. Needless to say, I love this show, and I will do everything I can to present my best work to come back year after year.
http://www.pmacraftshow.org/blog/2015-09-30/show-cases-ping-wu
The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is the most prestigious contemporary fine craft event in the country. You know how good an artist is just by knowing how many years she has been selected to this show. So, each year when I walk in to the show site, I am full of gratitude. It’s truly like walking into a museum, except you can physically touch and even own a piece you’d normally admire in a magazine. You also get to talk with the artists behind those beautiful objects. They are masters in their fields, yet I’m touched by their kindness and willingness to help others.
The truth is, living and working as handmade craft artists is hard in this fast-paced modern society. We live on unstable income and most of us reside in remote areas where the cost of living is more affordable. It takes days to prepare for the production of the show, with a lot of investment. During those days, we have very little rest. Yet at this show we are treated with such care and respect by the committee members. They make sure we're well fed and tend to us like mothers. The show is so good; we are so busy that we often don't have a chance to thank everyone for making it all possible for us, but there should be an award for those wonderful people behind the scenes.
One of my favorite Craft Show moments was last year when the image of me wearing one of my Bubble Hats inside of my booth was put up as a front web page on the Show’s Facebook site. It’s still my best show picture—even without any makeup. Needless to say, I love this show, and I will do everything I can to present my best work to come back year after year.
http://www.pmacraftshow.org/blog/2015-09-30/show-cases-ping-wu