Happy New Year!  I’ve been trying to write this entry for a good three months now.  I always get caught up in the organizational aspects of writing because deep down my dyslexia-triggered insecurity tells me if I don’t get it perfect, I’ll come off as dumb. Well, a lot of this is going to be me gooshing my personal feelings of gratitude, and might sound kinda dumb anyway. So, nothing to lose.  

It was this past year that I finally found some traction in the studio.  In May of 2023, I met artist/educator Jeremy Wakk while he was showing his work at an exhibition space called Noware Gallery. I LOVED the raw aesthetic of the space and inquired as to how I might show my work.  After some conversation with the gallery owners, Jeremy (who also curates for Noware) invited me to show my work.  “This Is Not My House, and I Don’t Know If I Can Catch Them” opened at Noware Gallery in late October during Fall Art Walk Lancaster.  In terms of meeting other artists/art-interested people in the community and also pushing my work forward, this opening was the singular most important event of the year. I met so many folks and had the absolute best conversations about art practice, art process, local art spaces, art collecting, coffee, and all things Lancaster-related. It was SOOOO much fun.   Beyond new connections, the support that I felt from family, friends outside Lanc, colleagues, former teachers, and institutions left my jaw on the floor.  Almost the entire side of my extended family living on the East Coast showed up to see the work and hang out during the Art Walk.  A good number of friends from York (some of whom I’d not seen since moving back to PA) made the trip across the river to see the work.  Friends who have moved to Lancaster from other places came out to see, talk, and support.  And wildly, one of my clients whom I used to train while living in Nyack, NY made the trip from Brooklyn to visit Lancaster and see the show.  I often say that I make work to digest the experiences and situations that I don’t have language for and that is honestly the principle reason.  But other people caring about those efforts REALLY make that work feel meaningful and make it much easier to continue. Thank you so much for coming to the exhibition. Catching up with you, meeting you, and talking with you was the highlight of my year.

Like every other milestone in my life, it took a tremendous amount of support to pull the exhibition together.  

Melanee. Thank you for being my art practice enabler since I began this wild pursuit in 2016. Thank you for managing our home during the late nights leading up to the show. Thank you for sometimes taking on the role of a single parent so that I could keep painting to meet the deadline. Thank you for managing Hudson on the weekends when I needed more time than I thought I did. Thank you for being flexible and so supportive when It was making your life more hectic. Thank you for being my partner.  I love you so much.
Mom, Dad, George, and Alison. Thank you for traveling and lending your open arms and your time when we needed to alleviate pressure.  You are so helpful to us.

Dave Kube. Thank you for being my sounding board as I unpacked my ideas, my studio visitor as those ideas started to take form and my installation/curation when I needed to present.  You have been a wonderful friend in a new city.  In the future, I hope I can be as helpful to you as you have been to me.

Jeremy Wakk.  Thank you for believing in me and my work.  There wasn’t much to show when I asked how I could show at Noware, but you gave me the benefit of the dought. Thank you for the studio visits and for making yourself available when I needed guidance along the way.  I look forward to more collaboration in the future!

Jon and Emma.  Thank you for opening such an incredible space.  I very literally walked into Jeremy’s show and started repeating to myself “This is the coolest exhibition space in Lancaster … I need to figure out how to show here.” I know you both have so much going on and I’m sure it would have been easy to just shut the bay door until “life slowed down.”  Noware is an absolute gem.  Thank you for allowing me to participate. 
Jacob, Jeremy, Juan, Katie, Matt, Paul. Thank you for letting me ramble incoherently about my unparsed concepts. Those conversations help me more than I can articulate.

This show ended up being a springboard to various other exhibition opportunities.  Since deinstalling in November, I have been able to show my work at David Lyall Home & Design (which has a gorgeous exhibit space and always hosts an incredible first Friday event for exhibiting artists), be part of a group show at The Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (curated by Ophelia Chambliss and others), and most recently, The Art Grind in Danville (run by Ashley Lopez/Brock Dent and has a great mission).

Again, “This Is Not My House, and I Don’t Know If I Can Catch Them” was quite a highlight for me.   Thank you for coming.  

Talk soon,

-Matthew