It’s no surprise that as an artist I believe art is good.  Not just paintings or
sculptures but anything that can make me see new possibilities, open my eyes
to new realities and make me feel some sort of awe inspiring flow that’s
bigger than my usual self.  And simply put, there are amazing things out there
that make me say “wow, I’m glad to be alive to see that!”.  But actually getting
out and trying to help artists to make things is a tricky matter; especially
when it’s done publicly.  When I see people debating about it, I feel helpless.
I have no words to say if someone claims that we have more urgent issues
than people having fun listening to music or painting pictures.  And how
do you decide what’s good for people and what’s not?

That’s why it’s so refreshing and encouraging to see people just going
ahead and doing what they believe by clever ideas and practical solutions.
Last year I had such a moment when I got to know about
the Artists & Audiences Exchange program of New York Foundation for the Arts.
It’s a part of their grant program which basically give away money to selected
applicants.  But they tell the selected applicants that the part of their money
will be given only if they make up a public program for the people in NY state.

OK, so when I got the money from NYFA last year, my response was, “Ah,
what? It’s not a free money?  I don’t get it.  They are not just giving it to me?
What???.”.  Well, that was just before I realized the cleverness and significance
of the program.  It’s so great to know that there are smart, capable people
looking after arts out there.  Thank you NYFA.

After thinking about the program for a few months I decided to give a talk at a
local library, Hampton Library, in Bridgehampton, NY.  Its building has just
gotten an extensive renovation and the director of the library has been very
positive and welcoming about the idea (my wife used to work there!).  So the
talk is going to be on Saturday May 15th 3:00PM.  I will be talking about my
sculpture making process with lots of images.  It’ll be relaxed, informal and
hopefully fun.  Please let the library know if you are interested in attending.
I will see you there if you are around!

Hiroyuki Hamada is a 2009 Artist Fellowship recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).  This presentation is co-sponsored by Artists & Audience Exchange, a NYFA public program.