From the very start, one of our missions was to provide new ways for promoting and interacting with the arts. Now we want to take that further. It’s time to take this show on the road and we don’t want to travel alone.
Currently we have three 2″ capsule vending machines. These will be deployed in three different locations. The contents of each machine will be an encapsulated gallery show, featuring the work of a single artist, group or theme. The galleries will rotate from location to location, changing every month. We’ll add a new exhibit every month and retire it after it has shown in all locations.
Participating artists will either keep the proceeds or donate them to the cause of their choice.
One of the primary reasons for doing this is to promote cultural exchange. Participating in the Augusta show really drove home to us the fact that there are really exciting creative communities out there who have no knowledge of each other. We drive past the Augusta exits on I-95 dozens of times a year, never realizing that there is a community of artists doing great things there. We hope that by having these touring capsule galleries we can start making connections between the communities.
Of course, this project will be a more successful with more people involved! So we’re seeking Sponsors and Collaborators.
Sponsorship is easy. We’d love to add more stops to the tour, and for that we’ll need more vending machines. The sponsor’s role would be to purchase a machine and capsules for a location close to them. This represents a $100-$200 investment. We’ll tell you what to look for and how to get the best deals on machines & capsules.
Collaboration is a little more work. Collaborators will be showing their work in the machines. They’ll be creating the materials and the signage. Even though collaborators keep the proceeds, this is not a money making venture by any means. At best, we hope to cover materials costs. It’s OK though, because we’re on a mission. With every purchase we’re providing a new way to experience creative work. We’re looking for collaborators who share this view and who understand the fun of selling things out of capsules! We’re calling it collaboration, but the machine you’re in is all about you. We won’t be plastering the Callithump! logo all over it (unless you want us to), so all the attention will go to the artist. We will, however, share our knowledge of making tiny artist’s multiples, and any other information, enthusiasm and support we can provide.
Hosting. We also need locations for these machines to reside. If you have a gallery, creative concern, coffee shop or other venue where these could find a home, let us know! We’re asking you to volunteer your space and not take a cut.
There’s no reason why sponsors, collaborators and hosts can’t all be one-in-the-same. We’re open to ideas! Please contact us by leaving a comment below.
UPDATE: We’re presenting this as an open-ended question. We think it’s a great idea but we haven’t worked out all the details yet, which is how it should be. The primary goal is to increase awareness and facilitate communication amongst the various creative communities in Maine. It wouldn’t be much of a collaboration if we just told everyone what to do! So let’s all figure out how to make this work!
