The results of BUILT 2014

This is the fourth year I’ve entered my artworks at Historic Albany Foundation’s BUILT: Architecture Through Artists’ Eyes fundraiser.  I consider BUILT the final entry for my “charity season,” my time where I can use my artworks to help generate funds for various organizations in need.

Earlier this year, I found out that some of my artworks helped raise money in the “Art Saves Animals” function for the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.  And my color-changing Fagbug and Vaudeville artwork helped garner some funds for the Albany Damien Center, so that’s another plus.

BUILT is very special for me.  I’ve seen the Capital District’s architectural history disappear with a swing of a wrecking ball.  I’ve seen buildings deteriorate over time.  And I’ve seen our collective architectural moments vanish in nothing flat.  This is our time to preserve our history.  And if any of my artworks can help save a building and restore it and refine it… that’s an offer in and of itself.

Last Thursday, I brought my three entries for BUILT – Dream Window 9: The Madison Theater, Olympic Bar and Hoffman’s Playland – to the DeWitt Clinton Hotel, the site for this year’s BUILT show.  I installed fresh batteries for the light-up Olympic Bar sign, I wiped down the dust from the other two pictures.

Last Saturday night, I got ready for the art show.  Gotta dress nice.  And where are they?  One – two – three – yes, all three of my past BUILT stickpins.  Must wear them for good luck, and I must pick up my artist’s pin for 2014.

It was rainy and damp last night, and trying to find parking anywhere near the DeWitt Clinton was an adventure in and of itself.  But I got lucky, I found a legal parking spot – and I walked into the DeWitt Clinton, on a mission to find my artworks.

And right off the bat… I found Hoffman’s Playland had secured a bid.  Aces!  My lenticular experiment will find a home tonight.

Wow.  This makes three lenticular prints that found new homes during charity season.  I like this idea of working with lenticular photography.  Memo to self.  Do more of this.  It works.

Then I looked around.  I saw some of my friends’ artworks – Samson Contompasis did a fantastic silkscreened triptych; Akum Norder did one of her excellent postcard recreations, Laura Glazer came up with an amazing artwork that had at least four different people going “bidwar” all over it.  This is some good stuff here.

There were some fantastic pieces on display at BUILT.  One creative artist even redesigned a game of RISK to incorporate Albany locales.  Memo to self – find out which property is the equivalent of Australia.  I’m thinking Buckingham Pond…

Oh look, there’s Olympic Bar.  And the lights on the electroluminescent wires are still flashing.  This works for me.

And another quick glance – there’s a bid!  Sweet like ice cream!  Two of my artworks will find new homes, and Historic Albany Foundation will have some additional money in the bank!

And as people stared at the artwork – there were the usual questions.

“How did you make it light up?”

“Where are the batteries for this?”

“Weren’t you scared, taking that picture so late at night in the South End?”

Another nice thing about BUILT is that you get to interact with many of the Capital District’s important movers and shakers.   Hi, Mary Darcy of AllOverAlbany.com… Hey, Don Rittner, fellow TU blogger, nice to se you… Good evening, Assemblyman John McDonald and fellow TU blogger…

I also met up with one of my Facebook friends, Laura Saffares, who really enjoys my photos.  “I entered one thing this year at BUILT,” she said, “but I can’t find it.”

That wasn’t surprising.  The layout of the DeWitt Clinton meant that some artworks were in various locales, and you really had to dig and look and snoop around to find anything.

In fact, it took a while for me to find Dream Window 9: The Madison Theater, it was tucked away in one of the DeWitt Clinton ballroom corners.

Oh look, there it is… and it earned some bids!  Awesome.  My third Dream Window to earn some charitable funds for Historic Albany Foundation, and what makes this one special is that it was donated to me by someone at last year’s BUILT – donated by someone who thought I could turn it into a suitable Dream Window project.

The night continued.  I admired some other pieces, talked to some artists, and then – all of a sudden – Laura Saffares came back to talk to me.

“I need to show you something,” she said hesitantly.  “I’ve never had this happen before.”

Uh-oh.  I hope something didn’t happen to her artwork.  I mean, earlier in the night there was a falling piece of ceiling plaster that almost landed on some patrons…

She showed me the artwork.  It was a picture of some State Street buildings that she encased in a glass globe, similar to what one would find in a snowglobe.

“Look,” she said, beaming and nervous.

I looked.  And I could see why she was excited.

She picked up a Juror’s Mention for her artwork.  Awesome!

Can you believe it?  What an amazing moment!

“Give me your camera,” I said.  “I’m going to take your picture with your win.”

“This is so exciting,” she beamed, as I captured her happy moment.

This is the good stuff.  This is why I enter BUILT – yeah, selling my artworks and raising money for Historic Albany Foundation, that’s all good and that – but this is also a chance for established and up-and-coming Albany artists to show off their work, to display their view of the Capital District’s most iconic buildings and architecture – and, if their works capture the attention of the judges, then all the better.

Another wonderful year at BUILT.  And next year, you know I’ll come up with three new artworks for the show.  Heck, you’ll know it because I’ll blog about their creations, every single step of the way.

This is part of our journey together, yours and mine.

So I’ve got one year before BUILT 2015.

No time to waste. 🙂