Page 22 of Art of Love
“It is and very well thought out.” Carla looked proud. “Part A consist of your team work tasks, which I will personally oversee and grade. John thinks of me as the heart of this establishment, so, guys, you have to convince me that you can work together for those tasks. I want to see initiative and collaboration. Communication and a process where you both work through what you want to achieve and get it done in a way that blows my mind.”
John was a tough cookie to crack, but Carla could always see through bullshit. There would be no tricking her or fooling her in any way.
She cleared her throat and continued. “Part A is fortunately made up of one task I created for you to fulfill together. It is simply this. As artists, think of something that will be a great opener for the guests as they enter the show. You, or whatever idea you come up with, will be the first thing they see when they enter Impasso. What we need to see is listed there in your folders.”
I read the top paragraph:
Design something creative either in keeping with the show or Impasso as a whole. This thing should be striking, bold, and so stunning that guests will barely want to leave you to see the rest of the exhibition.
I stopped reading because my brain went blank. This was completely different to what I had to do years back when I joined.
“So, it could be us or a thing?” Hunter asked, sounding like he’d already come up with an idea.
I glanced at him out the corner of my eye. He did seem like he had come up with something.
“Exactly. The first show is in two weeks. So, you have two weeks to plan and design your idea.”
“Okay, sounds simple enough.”
“Does it?” I had to cut in because to me it did not. “And that’s such short notice. The shows you guys pull off are pretty amazing. How are we supposed to come up with something in two weeks and get it ready for show standard?”
Carla simply smiled. “That, my friend, is part of the test. Putting together something on a whim’s notice and making it amazing enough to outshine the main event. It’s like upstaging a bride at her wedding.”
“I’m pretty certain we got this,” Hunter chimed in.
“I love your positive attitude, Hunter.” Carla gave him a look of appreciation.
“I’m just happy for the opportunity. Can’t complain, really.” He smiled that slow easy smile, and I suppose that was him trying to do the same thing I did earlier by attempting to make him feel uncomfortable.
It was working because I felt even more uncomfortable than I already did the minute I found out who his grandfather was.
He’d pretty much served me my own sauce with that one and handed me my ass.
“I know exactly what you mean. Anyway, that is just part A. Part B is where John gets involved, and winning him over is a lot more work than impressing me. We have eight shows in the next sixteen weeks. You will be required to work every night the show runs from seven until nine, but you must get here an hour before show time to get ready. On the first two weeks of the tour the show days will be Monday through Saturday, after that Tuesday to Saturday. Your team work piece will run for the first six weeks of the tour. Each show runs for two to three weeks showcasing the art work of each of the permanent members of Impasso. Aside from the teamwork assignment, you must work with the assistants and artists. You will be given a two-week period at the end of the tour to work on your individual portfolios on which you will be judged by John. That time will be for you to create your collection, but I suggest you start your prep before. The topic he wants you to focus on is elements.”
“Elements like water, fire, earth, and wind?” I asked with narrowed eyes.
She smiled. “ The elements are actually based on the creation of Impasso. John wants your answers to be reflected in your collection. He’s given you some clues listed in the instructions, but I’ll quickly go over them. They are: Something he loved from his childhood, something that inspired him to create the company, a year of reckoning for him, and lastly, the worst thing that ever happened to him.”
Hunter and I exchanged glances.
The kind that showed me he was as surprised as I was about the tasks. I didn’t know what he knew about John, but I knew for darned certain that those questions, or whatever they were, were vague. The only clear one could have been something that inspired John to create the company.
Most people knew that was his love for abstract art. He wanted to create something unique that blended techniques and brought them together to create something wonderful. Very much like Peter Belmont’s work, but John was more eccentric. That led me to believe that the answer wasn’t as simple as that.
“You will find clues to those things in the exhibitions you see from the other artists,” Carla continued. “But it’s for you to work out what you think the answers are and create something based off that. You will have all the answers to those clues by the end of the third exhibition.”
“And we have to work together for that?” I couldn’t see how.
“Not exactly, but I leave that to you, bearing in mind the ethos we live by here and also that you are competing against each other. This will give John the chance to see what you’re made of.”
I saw the twists and turns of this.
I glanced over at Hunter again but looked away when he looked at me.
I didn’t like any of it one bit.
“Any questions?”
