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I am Dennis Hodges, a fine art photographer living in Kansas, USA. I will have my first solo photography show in China at the Pingyao International Photography Festival that opens September 19. This festival will have around 440,000 people in attendance. Yes, 440,000!
I have just learned of this unique opportunity and have a very short deadline: I need to raise $2000 by August 31 to cover my international travel costs for the photo exhibition.
The Need
I’m honored to have my work selected and would love to attend the festival and share what I may with the organizers and attendees, serving as an ambassador for the arts and important cross-cultural exchanges.
I am thrilled my art is getting recognition globally and to have this opportunity to share my photos in a new country.
Art builds bridges between cultures and peoples. Images form a common language that transcends spoken language barriers.
About the Festival
The Pingyao Festival is one of the “Top Ten Festivities in China” and has won the prize of “IFEA China’s Most Internationally Influential Ten Festivities.” The festival is one of the most important celebrations for the international photography community.
Festivals are great venues to share my work, as I am able to reach large, interested audiences through them.
For reference, Pingyao is located approximately 450 miles southwest of Beijing. This ancient city, whose history dates back some 2,700 years, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
About the Work
The series I will show is called, “That which separates us”. This series is an abstract look at jet contrails, using them as a metaphor for issues that divide us. The contrails are caused by planes flying overhead as they connect travelers to and from destinations that frequently have a different ideology from the land over which they are flying.
The contrails left behind are symbolic of the lines we draw and the positions we choose to take on controversial issues. The images and their composition make the viewer consider the issues he/she supports on a more conceptual level. The subject is relevant wherever one lives in the world.
The installation in Pingyao will feature 22 images from the series as well as a video interpretation of the subject.
I’ve been invited by the organizers to attend and participate in the festival. The opportunity to attend the exhibition and see the installation mounted on the wall is the reward for the work that goes into creating art. The chance to interact with other artists and the public discussing art does so much to recharge one’s creative batteries.
In the past, when I’ve been able to attend festivals where my work is shown, I have always interacted with the public, sharing ideas about photography, encouraging art students and reviewing their work, and giving an artist talk or leading a workshop whenever possible.
I’m honored to have my work selected and would love to attend the festival and share what I may with the organizers and attendees.
The Details
As an artist, it’s frequently a challenge to get your art to pay its own way. In the case of festivals, the photos are not for sale nor are artists paid to attend; it’s purely an opportunity to share your work with a larger audience.
Most festivals operate on a shoestring and are happy when they’re able to break even. The Pingyao Festival organizers are kind enough to cover the cost of production of the images for the exhibit plus my hotel and some meals; I’m responsible for getting myself there and covering all other costs.
I am asking for your help, please, to raise a total of $2000.
These funds will cover the costs of:
· Economy airfare of $1400,
· A travel visa of $250, and
· Meals and incidentals (just enough for an 8-day trip) of $350
I realize it’s not that much money, but the invitation has come right after I’ve had some extraordinary and unexpected expenses, including major work on our car and needing to replace my – no kidding – 10-year-old laptop. I know these expenses sound ordinary and cliché, but they’re genuine outlays – to the combined tune of just under $5000 – and all hit at the same time, just before the invitation of course.
Given the timing of the festival, I simply don’t have enough time to save the funds necessary to cover these costs.
While working on a solution to make this trip a reality, I thought a good option might be crowdfunding. So, here is my first attempt!
Giving Amounts and Bonuses to Donors
I am asking you to please be a patron of the arts and support me, an artist, and help me get to China for this exhibition and festival.
As a thank you for your support, I will send you:
- For patrons contributing any amount from $1-$99, a copy of my PDF “The three questions to ask yourself before taking a photo”. This PDF is one of my most popular publications. I think you’ll like it, too! Plus, I’ll send you a report after my trip with images and impressions from the experience.
- For patrons contributing between $100-$199, in addition to the PDF and report, I will mail you an original, signed print from the series (4”x6” or 10cm x 15cm).
- For patrons contributing more than $200, in addition to the PDF and report, I will mail you an original, signed print from the series (8”x10” or 20cm x 30cm).
My prints typically sell for much more, but this is an exceptional opportunity for both of us, so it’s a win-win! The cost to print and mail these is on me.
As mentioned above, I have just learned of this opportunity and am on deadline to get funds raised so I can commit to the festival and catch the flight on September 17. I’m asking, please, for a commitment by August 31. I cannot do this without you!
I hope you will help me see the whole picture! Thank you!
I have just learned of this unique opportunity and have a very short deadline: I need to raise $2000 by August 31 to cover my international travel costs for the photo exhibition.
The Need
I’m honored to have my work selected and would love to attend the festival and share what I may with the organizers and attendees, serving as an ambassador for the arts and important cross-cultural exchanges.
I am thrilled my art is getting recognition globally and to have this opportunity to share my photos in a new country.
Art builds bridges between cultures and peoples. Images form a common language that transcends spoken language barriers.
About the Festival
The Pingyao Festival is one of the “Top Ten Festivities in China” and has won the prize of “IFEA China’s Most Internationally Influential Ten Festivities.” The festival is one of the most important celebrations for the international photography community.
Festivals are great venues to share my work, as I am able to reach large, interested audiences through them.
For reference, Pingyao is located approximately 450 miles southwest of Beijing. This ancient city, whose history dates back some 2,700 years, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
About the Work
The series I will show is called, “That which separates us”. This series is an abstract look at jet contrails, using them as a metaphor for issues that divide us. The contrails are caused by planes flying overhead as they connect travelers to and from destinations that frequently have a different ideology from the land over which they are flying.
The contrails left behind are symbolic of the lines we draw and the positions we choose to take on controversial issues. The images and their composition make the viewer consider the issues he/she supports on a more conceptual level. The subject is relevant wherever one lives in the world.
The installation in Pingyao will feature 22 images from the series as well as a video interpretation of the subject.
I’ve been invited by the organizers to attend and participate in the festival. The opportunity to attend the exhibition and see the installation mounted on the wall is the reward for the work that goes into creating art. The chance to interact with other artists and the public discussing art does so much to recharge one’s creative batteries.
In the past, when I’ve been able to attend festivals where my work is shown, I have always interacted with the public, sharing ideas about photography, encouraging art students and reviewing their work, and giving an artist talk or leading a workshop whenever possible.
I’m honored to have my work selected and would love to attend the festival and share what I may with the organizers and attendees.
The Details
As an artist, it’s frequently a challenge to get your art to pay its own way. In the case of festivals, the photos are not for sale nor are artists paid to attend; it’s purely an opportunity to share your work with a larger audience.
Most festivals operate on a shoestring and are happy when they’re able to break even. The Pingyao Festival organizers are kind enough to cover the cost of production of the images for the exhibit plus my hotel and some meals; I’m responsible for getting myself there and covering all other costs.
I am asking for your help, please, to raise a total of $2000.
These funds will cover the costs of:
· Economy airfare of $1400,
· A travel visa of $250, and
· Meals and incidentals (just enough for an 8-day trip) of $350
I realize it’s not that much money, but the invitation has come right after I’ve had some extraordinary and unexpected expenses, including major work on our car and needing to replace my – no kidding – 10-year-old laptop. I know these expenses sound ordinary and cliché, but they’re genuine outlays – to the combined tune of just under $5000 – and all hit at the same time, just before the invitation of course.
Given the timing of the festival, I simply don’t have enough time to save the funds necessary to cover these costs.
While working on a solution to make this trip a reality, I thought a good option might be crowdfunding. So, here is my first attempt!
Giving Amounts and Bonuses to Donors
I am asking you to please be a patron of the arts and support me, an artist, and help me get to China for this exhibition and festival.
As a thank you for your support, I will send you:
- For patrons contributing any amount from $1-$99, a copy of my PDF “The three questions to ask yourself before taking a photo”. This PDF is one of my most popular publications. I think you’ll like it, too! Plus, I’ll send you a report after my trip with images and impressions from the experience.
- For patrons contributing between $100-$199, in addition to the PDF and report, I will mail you an original, signed print from the series (4”x6” or 10cm x 15cm).
- For patrons contributing more than $200, in addition to the PDF and report, I will mail you an original, signed print from the series (8”x10” or 20cm x 30cm).
My prints typically sell for much more, but this is an exceptional opportunity for both of us, so it’s a win-win! The cost to print and mail these is on me.
As mentioned above, I have just learned of this opportunity and am on deadline to get funds raised so I can commit to the festival and catch the flight on September 17. I’m asking, please, for a commitment by August 31. I cannot do this without you!
I hope you will help me see the whole picture! Thank you!