Success!

August 8th, 2004 5-7pm. Corner of Valencia and 2oth in San Francisco.

Artwork coming from all over the Bay Area, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and beyond! Opening will feature voter registration (our new motto - "Vote John Kerry …he’s good enough.") and artmaking activities from the Anti-Advertising Agency. Come early, all work not sold by 7pm will be left on the honor system.

Over 50 Artists Including:
Garth Amundson, Fred Alvarado, Steven Barich, Shawnee Barton, Anna Marie Benson, Todd Berman, Jeff Bostic, Daniel C. Boyer, Adam Buck, Clark Buckner, Elizabeth Burch, Clark Buckner, Cynthia (Burgess) Yardley, Reece Carter, Janice Rumbaugh-Coddington, Ilana Crispi, Troy Dalsimer, Michael Dodge, Bill Dunlap, Jennifer Elia, Andrew Eyman, Laura Floyd, Carey Groleau, Margaret L. Holmes, Jessica Iapino, David Kessel, Matt Lambert, Patricia Lambert, Steve Lambert, Juliette Lagenour, Mary V. Marsh, Nikolas C. Mohanna, Scott Newell, Tucker Nichols, Rob Nielson, Nishimoto, Ilya Noe, Alese Osborn, Francesca Pastine, Andrea Reynor, David Gremard Romero, Ben Seevers, Mimi Shaprio, Mike Stahlbrodt, Jordan Stein, Fred Struckholz, Tease, Mr. Theodore, Adam Trowbridge, Julie Weingarten, Adam Wier, Anne Wolfe, Laura Kealoha Yardley, and more.

The Budget Gallery crew showed up to the site around 3pm with the whole routine more organized and prepared than ever before. In fact we were so ahead of schedule we had time to get some food and talk to friends. The Shell Gasoline Station on the corner of Valencia and 20th had closed just a couple weeks ago and the portable chainlink fence that surrounded it had been knocked over. A combined effort had the fence righted like an Amish barn raising and at around 4pm we started to hang the work on the fence.

Through the help of early gallery visitors and some new friends we had the show hung right on schedule. A woman who was selling clothing on a section of fence around the corner warned that the day before someone had complained about her street sale and the police made a visit. She wished us luck and said, "I don’t know why they complain, this space should be used!"

Between 5 and 7pm many great conversations were had, art was purchased, and so much more. For example, two women who had never met before noticed they were wearing the same top and started talking. For one, the fit was too small, for the other, too big. So they traded the shirts on their backs. Several cab drivers stopped and bought work. One wanted to host a solo show in his cab. Passers-by worked on posters for the Anti-Advertising Agency, voters were registered, friends were made.

At one point the police did come because someone had complained the sidewalk was too crowded and people were hanging out in the street. The officers were friendly and expressed regret, even saying, "I don’t know why someone would complain about this." I asked if I should ask people to keep the sidewalk clear and encourage them to stand on the sidewalk instead of the street. "Sure, that’s fine I guess. You know, I just have to tell you that we got a complaint." He emphasized that he "had to".

Most of the work sold before 7pm and, when we went back to check on things around 10pm, everything had found a new home except for one photo, some voter registration forms we left clipped to the fence, and the labels we created for the work. "Success!" was one of our most highly attended shows. A big thank you to all our artists and everyone who came out to the show!

Steve - on on behalf of the entire Budget Gallery.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Robert Barich, Heath, and the Budget Gallery staff