Six years ago, on May 5, 2005, the Carolena Campanella Fine Art Gallery opened. The gallery was named after my two grandmothers; two very important women in my life. The concept was very different and artistic in it's own right. It was the melding of antique furniture, Tibetan artifacts, contemporary art, ceramics, sculpture and glass. Movable walls created visual spaces that changed each month creating rooms within the gallery. Each room was an art showcase, allowing people to visualize how their home could be designed utilizing art. Everything in the gallery was an art-form. The walls were faux painted. The floor - decorative concrete. The lighting was artistically designed. Architectural elements such as old shutters framed the interior windows. Steinway agreed to showcase their art-cased pianos that were created by famous artists and fashion designers. There wasn't another gallery like it in the country.
This vision, was two years in the making. As the opening date arrived, the gallery was still under construction. I was told numerous times by the builder that the drop dead date for completion would be April 21. I was assured that the gallery would be open on time. April 21st arrived. The gallery was a shell. It remained that way until May 4 - the day before the opening. Fortunately the flooring was complete, three quarters of the walls painted, and no lighting. The owner of Steinway came by for a visit, saw the gallery, and remarked how I would not be receiving a piano for the opening. I begged him to believe that the gallery would open. After all, 750 invitations were sent out and the gallery would open on time. He looked at me and said, "Have you looked around? This place is a construction site! There is no way you are going to open! I have built three stores, so I know what I am talking about!" Defiantly I said, "Just watch me"! I had no idea how I was going to do this. Panic was about to set in, when I stopped myself and thought - there are two things you can do, and quitting is not an option. Plan A and Plan B. Plan A was moving full steam ahead. Plan B was moving full steam ahead with options. As far as I was concerned plan A was all I knew. The gallery was going to open.
I gathered the troops. There were seven willing volunteers.
May 4, 2005
3 PM: A truck filled with antique furniture was waiting outside. We loaded all the furniture in, knowing ahead of time where everything would be placed.
11PM: We finished the furniture placement, but still had a lot more to do. The lighting was not complete, the outside still a construction site, and the art still needed to be hung.
7AM - May 5: the artist began hanging her work. A work in progress. Placement of glass and ceramic art around the gallery.
NOON: The Steinway Piano arrived. Painting was almost complete. Electricians frantically working on the lighting.
4 PM: a bulldozer shoveled away the debris outside the gallery. Landscapers were laying hay, and placing flowers around the gallery. Still the lighting was not complete. We didn't even have power. water or occupancy. I was assured everything would be OK.
5 PM: Breathing deeply. Not sure how this all came together. Ran home to change, and had to be back before the guests arrived.
6 PM The first arrival of the guests. I was at the front door, welcoming them to the gallery. The last of the lighting was hung. Music was playing on the Steinway.
6:30 PM: The owner of Steinway and the featured Glass Artist arrived.
Both stood in the doorway looking in disbelief. They both saw the construction site the day before. The Glass Artist, came up to me and said: "I was here and saw the construction site. I am not sure how you opened this gallery?" "I didn't believe it could be done!"
I looked at him and replied: "I am not sure how I did it - but I believe there was a bevy of angels around me!" At that moment, the glass artist told me about the gallery he was opening, and proclaimed that he wanted me to run it. He said, "Carol, If you could do this, you can do anything you put your mind to!"
That compliment, coming from one of the top glass artists in the world, was beyond belief. He wasn't one to hand out compliments, nor offer a prestigious job right there on the spot! I had to decline his offer graciously. After all, this was my gallery. I would be happy to showcase his art anytime.
Carolena Campanella Fine Art Gallery was a vision I created. It began as a dream that I turned into a reality. Right then, I set the bar higher realizing that I could do anything I wanted to. The key was to have a plan of action, move quickly and believe that this could be done.
When I find myself doubting my abilities, I have to go back to that day on May 5, 2005 - it is then I begin to realize, all over again...if I could turn a construction site into a gallery in less than 24 hours, I can do anything I want.
Stay tuned!
Ah-Mazing!
ReplyDeletelove cory