Ronna Richmond
1/5
The Community Creative Center itself appears to be a great place for classes and workshops that are art and craft-related, such as sewing, pottery, and printmaking, to name a few.
My review is actually regarding my experience with the director of the Joy Pratt Markham gallery, located within the CCC, which is a non-profit art gallery that offers curated art shows. I am a painter with 33 years of painting under my belt, who was slated to have a show this coming November-December.
The director, Bryce, looked at and offered to show my work back in April of this year, 2024. He gave me his business card with two phone numbers and his email address, and said I could reach him at any time with questions or concerns as the time grew closer to my show date. He also emailed me instructions on what to submit to him for the show, (list of paintings with all pertinent information, pics of work, contact info, etc.)
Bryce asked me to provide 15-20 paintings for the show. After completing 17 paintings, which took me 4 months to complete, I submitted everything he needed for my November show this past July.
He emailed thanks, but refused to include two of my works, one being a still life, and the other, a self-portrait, effectively censoring my work, even though he didn't object to other pieces with the same subject matter as the still life he refused to include.
As the summer progressed, I emailed him on average of once a week with logistical questions about dates and times, as well as providing him with an updated show listing, etc. so to avoid any confusion as my show approached. I also offered to help install the show. I stopped getting any acknowledgement of or replies to my communications.
I asked Bryce at one point what his thoughts were on the prices I'd placed on my work, as I felt that he knew his customer base and would be able to guide me in pricing the work, so that it would sell and thus, the show would be successful for him and the CCC, as well as for me, the artist. He refused to aid in pricing the work, saying that pricing was a personal decision. I understood that, but as curator, he is the expert in that regard.
Last week, the first week of September, he abruptly cancelled my show and told me not to contact him anymore. When I asked him why, he said I communicated too much, which was intolerable to him. Oftentimes, the only reason I even tried to call was to find out if he had actually received my emails, because they would make the show go more smoothly by eliminating potential problems.
Bryce said that the Community Creative Center exists because he and his staff care about art and artists, but how I was treated does not exemplify this sentiment.
I put in countless hours producing a great body of work for this show, and I'm very disappointed. But the reason for this review is to warn other artists if they should submit work for a show here.
And I wasn't gonna go quietly.
Pictured below are the two paintings that Bryce refused to hang in my now-cancelled show. Left to right: 'A Double For a Single,' and 'Self-Portrait 2024.' Both are oil on canvas.
