Historically, when the little guys get screwed by the big guys, the little guys just have to eat it. I know I sure have, many times over. But it's different this time, because of our blog. This is definitely my last FairStory, and it will be told, lawyer be damned.
One of my very favorite taglines, which we have used twice on the banner, is "Character, like a photograph, develops in the dark," by Yusef Karsch. I have known the dark myself, and consequently I know that CHARACTER IS ALL ONE CAN COUNT ON. Jerome and I reposted that one sometime during our negotiations with Bentley Projects, so that Glen Lineberry and Lisa Greve, readers of our blog, they said, would feel confident about working with us.
Confident about Flower Pictures? No. Confident that we were on the up and up with the paranormal photography. You see, this entire fiasco, for me, is about the photography alright, but the other kind-- the Ghost Photo Art. But I've got to tell you about the flower scheme in the beginning, middle and end, because it was the hook that Glen Lineberry and Lisa Greve used to draw us in.
Remember how we were all sitting around the Bentley Project conference table and Glen Lineberry looked up at me sheepishly, or maybe like a guilty wolf in sheep's clothing, "... It's about your photographs..." he said. And then Jerome, being nervous like me, filled in, "The flower photographs?" and Glen Lineberry said "Yes".
Jerome made it easy for Glen Lineberry to simply make a confirmation. He was holding everything close to his chest from the beginning, which was an inappropriate way of dealing with Jerome and me. Glen Lineberry and Lisa Greve, being readers of our blog, should have known that we demand honesty and transparency in our dealings with others. We weren't the ones misrepresenting ourselves.
The reason Glen Lineberry looked up at me when he said "... It's about your photographs..." is because he had been looking down at the table just before when he said "I usually get to the point first, but . . ." When someone won't make eye contact with you while they're making an unsettling confession, well, that might be a warning sign to take what follows with a very large grain of salt.
The flower photographs were just the tip of an iceberg.
When Glen Lineberry answered that "Yes (it was about the flower pictures)," my hopes and dreams came crashing down. Remember, we had brought a number of prospective projects, all real art, with us to this table. Ideas for exhibitions and installations, things we've worked on for years. I didn't even consider the flower pictures art, although for sure they are gorgeous. How can flowers not be stone cold gorgeous?
But then just as quickly, it occurred to me that the generous Green Beings were further blessing us (see Photography by Catherine King: Meet My Collaborators). Glen Lineberry and Lisa Greve were acting so, kind of excited, and definitely mysterious-- about flowers? Well, did that mean they already knew people who wanted to buy some of the flower photographs? Now, that would be good. I knew some people were interested, but I really didn't want to deal with clients directly.
I wouldn't be offended because I scarcely considered them real art. I knew Glen Lineberry was supposed to be some kind of economist. He must feel there is commercial potential in all his undertakings. So how could this be a disappointment, I told myself, it's an opportunity. Besides, talking flowers with these people didn't mean we couldn't also talk about representation or space to exhibit the far more meaningful art that Jerome and I had in mind. After we hear Glenn Lineberry out about the flower photography.
I just remembered, as Glenn Lineberry was showing us around the place immediately before the meeting, he said something that was definitely bait, it was even obvious at the time. He said something that really notched up my expectations as he pointed to this or that artist's work standing or hanging in the many exhibition spaces. He said that Bentley Projects believes in giving their artists a "very substantial" cash infusion at the beginning of their partnership, somewhat less the second year and least of all the third year because the artists should have made it or not on their merits by then.
Now we all know that people say or do not say things for very specific purposes, right? So that carrot bait was hanging out there as we talked about --something-- but was it the point?
We indicated to Glen Lineberry that we were interested so far.
And then he told us about the Bentley Projects offshoot, a sell-to-the-trade-only printing business called A Little More Red. "Lisa will be working with you on A Little More Red", Glen Lineberry said. This much information and no more they calculated they would give us as to Lisa Greve's position at Bentley Projects. (We always thought she was some kind of assistant or intern.) But why?
Now they went on to explain how the artists who contribute to the Little More Red on-line catalogue actually pay the costs of printing their work as a customer orders it. But the cost of printing is covered by the second or third print. Some of Little More Red's customers were big institutions, like hospitals, entire office buildings and resorts that would be sure to want a lot of beautiful flower pictures. Jerome and I figured we could handle that.
So now Jerome and I were free to further our agenda. We told them that we wanted to submit proposals for several exhibitions and installations. "Sure," Glen Lineberry said, with warm enthusiasm; "the main reason things don't happen in this town is because people don't ask."
Posted by Jerome at January 22, 2005 09:12 AM | TrackBack