EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES

Clifford Buckley, Modulart

It has been a privilege to be among the featured artists selected for the JAA Arts & Culture’s 2017 Program. The location of my exhibit featured in the south side Connector Bridge cases has given me the ability to share my work with millions of diverse people traveling in and out of Jacksonville, Florida. I have seen firsthand reactions and excitement of people viewing my original origami. It has been a great joy knowing my artwork moves people in a positive way. I believe my animals somehow strike a common chord with others.

I also have had numerous contact with people now interested in acquiring my work. One traveler through the airport, a gentleman from Virginia, has ordered a commission. And, I sold two of the works on display including my largest and most complex piece, "Ellie". Her collector is in fact the owner of the magazine company whose materials were repurposed by me to create Ellie! He is fabricating a special case for her and commissioning additional works from me to place in the lobby of his new corporate headquarters in Jacksonville.

Thank you for pushing my career to the next level! This experience has given me new confidence and purpose as an artist.

- Clifford Buckley, Modulart Origami, cliffordbuckleyart.com

Mark Krancer, KramKran Photo

One day I got tagged in a post on Facebook. there was a call to artists at the Jacksonville International Airport. A coworker who enjoyed my photos tagged me. I laughed. I said to myself "yeah right, the Haskell Gallery, good luck!" I didn't even know anything about the art world, but I knew Haskell was a major patron of the arts.

But eventually, I thought "what if?" and you never know unless you try. I filled out the application and submitted it. I heard nothing for a few months. I thought for sure that there was no chance I would get in, and honestly I forgot about it. Then I receive this email: "Congratulations!"

My work had been selected for the 3rd quarter of 2017 for the "On City and Culture" exhibit in the Haskell Gallery! I was so excited, and started planning immediately on how I was going to pull this off. Jen Jones Murray was my go-to person for questions, and she has this collaborative nature about her that is inspiring to be a part of. Her energy and willingness to bring the artist's visions into focus with hers and the airport's is to be commended!

Being accepted by the airport into the Haskell Gallery made me grow as an artist. It challenged me to create work to represent Jacksonville and the entire First Coast. That is a huge responsibility in my eyes! To me, this was a validation I had been aspiring to achieve. I create art that I enjoy, and if others enjoy it, then great! But it is very nice and rewarding to me personally when others appreciate my passion for photography. I had sold a few canvases before, and had a few exhibits, but nothing like this. It challenged me as an artist to work on a theme and bring my vision to life. It was exciting and nerve wracking all at once, but oh so fun!

Being accepted helped give me the confidence to pursue photography further. I created my photography business, Kram Kran Photo, a few months after being invited to show at the airport. I started pursuing downtown art walks and regional art fairs, as well as becoming a photographer for First Coast Magazine. Jen taught me how to build a website and showed me the online tools I needed to grow it as a business.

Jen, on behalf of the JAA and JAX, not only supported the artists before the exhibit but during it as well. I had an opening reception, along with Marsha Glaziere with whom I shared the Haskell exhibit space, and the other five artists showing in the other areas of the airport. Jen volunteered to manage it, and the networking and just love of the art I felt there was tremendous. I'm thankful that several sales were made shortly after.

When Hurricane Irma hit, and I took the photo "Life In The River" of course I had to share it with Jen, who had encouraged creative collaboration from the beginning. Not only that, she guided me through how to best market, price, and strategize on what instantly became such an iconic photo to so many. I was completely unprepared for this. I went from getting about 1 email a week about photography to having over 500 emails wanting to buy that print within 48 hours. I was so overwhelmed! Her guidance, along with a dedicated team of people with me, has helped me sell hundreds of prints now, which has blessed the Memorial Park Association as well in their recovery efforts (through these sales, I was able to donate back $5,000 to help them rebuild). Jen also allowed me the flexibility to get this photo up quickly in my exhibit in the JAA Admin Building, as it became relevant overnight!

Now, I am just over two weeks away from hearing the decision on whether the "Life In The River" photo series will win a 2017 Pulitzer Prize in either the breaking news photography category or the feature photography category. I have no clue what will happen with it. No matter what, I know I have to at least try to win. But I can honestly say I would have never even thought of "what if" to such a grand ambition if my passion for photography had not been recognized by Jen and the JAA Arts & Culture Program beforehand. No matter what stage you are in as an artist, the airport is there to help!

- Mark Krancer, www.kramkranphoto.com