Welcoming: Welcoming

Welcoming: Welcoming: "Welcoming By: Elias Rafael Decena April 21 st “ We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will all be..." Here's another blog post regarding DUMBO!

By: Elias Rafael Decena


April 21st

“We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will all be past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible”

-George Santayana

Days before, I was sent with an invitation to the Fellowship party of the A.I.R Gallery at Front Street, Brooklyn. It is said in the press release that 6 new women artists will be announced and introduced to the audience. Since its establishment in 1993, the A.I.R Fellowship program has helped launch the careers of over 40 women artists. Each year, the A.I.R Gallery offers six women grantees of the fellowship to exhibit their art on the gallery. I also learned that Ms. Sam Vernon was a fellowship grantee, enabling her to exhibit her “Think on it then lay it down for good” show which I had written about before (Shadows and Bridge). It’s an amazing feeling I have, knowing that I will have a first look at the artists who would, by a year later, put their art inside the A.I.R Gallery and let people be amazed and awed by their work.

I entered the gallery with much excitement for the induction of the grantees. I took a glass of red wine and sipped until the program starts. I took the sit four chairs far from the program stage and I waited until I see the faces of the artists. People started pouring in and I had no idea who the artists were from the variety of people inside the gallery; there were art enthusiasts, spectators, commoners, photographers and even business men. Seeing this scenario, I realized that art calls beyond artists and to the common people as well.

The program started with a serious ambience in the room, showing the interest of the people inside towards the grantees. The six women artists named: Aimee Burg, Bang Geul Han, Annie Ewaskio, Einat Ember, Katherine Tzu-lan Mann and Regine Romain. They were all presented to the audience and were given a chance to give a brief description of their respective works of art. It would take a year before their art is exhibited to the A.I.R Gallery but as early as this time, everyone is excited to view their work.

The fellowship party came to an end, but after I left the A.I.R Gallery, I took one last look at Sam Vernon’s exhibition. The exhibit would last only to the 23rd of April and I don’t know if I’m going to be here at DUMBO by that time, so I took one last glance at her work. “By two days time, this place where Sam Vernon’s art stands would be occupied by another” I said to myself. By the coming of next year, the art of the six new artists would be displayed inside the halls of this gallery; I asked myself “Where would this go?” looking at Vernon’s art. I looked at the faces of the people inside and saw flashes of amazement and excitement as they saw new artists welcomed by the gallery. I took another look at Vernon’s art panned my head to the people, to the artists, Vernon’s art, to and fro and I thought “It would last”. I knew then on that even when new things come, the past would never be forgotten. Maybe, as I imagined, people who welcomed Sam Vernon to this gallery had the same excitement as the people here have this night. As time goes by, her work is inculcated in their minds and in their hearts. And a year later, this day, it’s time to pass the space to new artists to spread new forms art to the people and pour lots of new inspirations with growing artists.

The fellowship program of A.I.R Gallery really has a mission: a mission for the growth of new artists, a mission for the glorification of their members and a lasting goal of perpetuating the art of which their fellows put their life on.

I went out of the gallery carrying with me old memories and foreshadows of new ones to come.