Countdown

There are only a few days until my exhibition, and this morning I discovered it's going to rain heavily on Saturday, my opening day. Besides decreasing attendance, it will make things messy, but I have to plan to try to make is smooth as possible.

Besides the bigger chores like having photos printed and framed, there are a lot of details I overlooked. I'm still putting together sound (editing and mixing it on Garage Band). I also have to make sure the printers are on time for the exhibition programs. Some things I've taken upon myself to make the gallery more pleasant. For instance, now with the rain, I'm going to have to get some mats, throw rugs, and make sure to have extra towels on hand because here you just never know what kind of crazy things might happen with a lot of rain.

I've been making final preparations the past few days. I've sent out invitations and reminders aimed mostly at the expat and diplomatic community. I printed formal invitations and am going to make a final run through to hang up more posters and personally take invitations to select people. I had my summary printed and am finishing captions, sales lists and title cards. I bought and assembled hanging supplies like fishing line, adhesive velcro, hooks and various glues and sticky things.

Odds and ends that are on my list for the opening are items like wood spray (for fixtures) and glass cleaner. But bigger things on my checklist include the food and beverages: wine, juice, coke, water, food (I made it myself: small empanadas (meat pies), cheese, crackers, spiced almonds, and a vegetable tray with dip), nice plastic cups, napkins, tablecloths, folding table, purified ice and an ice chest, and garbage bags. I hired a bartender, waitress, gallery attendant (gallerista), a security guard and a couple of guys to hang the show.

Other little things I've done at the suggestion of Melissa, my assistant, are getting a register or guest book, putting together a price list for anybody who might want to purchase a print, getting a business card holder for my cards, and a cup of sharpened pencils. Pledge, wood cleaner, has to be found to tidy up the stands which will hold the three-dimensional map of the Marginal I had an artisan make.

Today, I have to go back to my framer and pressure them a bit. A thing that drives Americans here crazy (and just plain confuses Scandinavians) is the lack of promptness. Last week I was told that my frames would be finished this past Saturday. When I went to pick them up yesterday, they weren't done. Unfortunately it is to be expected, and I prepared for this cultural laxness so I wouldn't be completely out of luck on Friday when we hang the show. Such is life in Mozambique.