G33K, pronounced โgeek,โ Art Show is experiencing growing pains.
From November 22-24, Kitchener City Hall got a little geekier as the Rotunda was taken over by the G33K art show. This is G33Kโs second year in the Rotunda as it made the transition from the small Kaufman Arts Studio to the Rotunda in 2012.
G33K Art Show aims to bring comic, sci-fi, fantasy or anything one would consider โgeekโ art to a larger audience. Though the main focus of G33K is to allow the public to better familiarize themselves with local artistry, this is also an event to network. G33K allows artists to intermingle with each other, creating valuable contacts within the creative community.
Now in its third year, G33K is starting to think about the festival in the long term and what potential changes will have to be implemented to confirm G33Kโs status as a viable and important art show.
โIโve been discussing with some industry professionals and my communication/marketing manager on the concept of having to rebrand the show. Some of the things that weโve discussed over the show weekend were whether the name [G33K] draws in the proper audience or not,โ mentioned Miroki Tong, artistic producer and founder of G33K Art Show.
G33K gets its name inspiration from leet speak, or โ1337,โ a type of chat speak used online in chat rooms in the early 2000โs. While it is a clever way to get Tongโs message across, it has proven to be surprisingly alienating for some and inviting for others.
โPeople get really turned off by the word โgeekโ or they donโt understand what the double threes mean. For me it was very common โฆ sometimes you think everyone knows because you know [and are familiar with a subject],โ said Tong.
โItโs not about the industry; the industry will know what your show is all about or what your brand is. Itโs the general public and if the general public gets turned off by the name then you canโt pull them in.โ
Tong is also considering adopting the well-known moniker of โComiCon KWโ or โToronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF)โ but feels those will alienate G33K from the original message Tong is so passionate about.
With a name as broad as G33K, it allows for a wide berth of both industry professionals and attendees.
โI really welcome anyone. On the application it says โtry meโ because art and creativity exists in so many mediums and forms. There is really no definition of art. Art for me is anything that is stimulating and creates passion. The word geek itself sort of means to be so passionate and knowledgeable about something youโre a โgeekโ about it,โ said Tong.
Exhibitors at G33K 2013 included Nanowrimo, the creators behind Kill Shakespeare, Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, and respected comic book artist Kent Burles.
G33K also held various panels such as โHow to Pitch Your Comic to Publishers and Audiencesโ to better inform burgeoning artists on how to enter these creative fields.
Though Tong is deeply passionate about giving artists a chance to be exposed, she is currently not interested in creating a mentorship program.
โThe opportunity is there and I just need to address it in a broader sense. I donโt want to do something like that until the community is ready for something like that โฆ to mentor someone takes a lot of energy โฆ if the artists are not ready to accept criticism and be proactive, I donโt want to set them up with a mentorship because thatโs a lot of resources and a lot of risk.โ
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