Double Rejection Letter From The AGA (Art Gallery Of Alberta)

" March 22, 2012

Gerry Yaum
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Edmonton, Ab
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Dear Gerry Yaum,

Many thanks for sending both packages of information on your work. I have shared these with our curatorial department who appreciated the opportunity to view your work. The AGA has confirmed its exhibition schedule for the next few years and unfortunately we will be unable to offer you and exhibition opportunity.

With many thanks and best regards,

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This one really hurts, my dream since a young guy was to have my work shown at the AGA (then called the Edmonton Art Gallery). You throw your heart and soul into your work, work for years creating it, study a culture, learn a language, go into personal debt to support the work, you might even endanger your life a bit along the way. You take all those efforts and make 2 submissions to your dream gallery the AGA and then get a 3 sentence rejection letter in return. Both the "Sex Worker" on white and the "Klong Toey Portrait" series were rejected.

I appreciate the AGA for taking the time to review the work and to send me the letter but its all still so depressing. I want the people I photograph to be seen and the AGA is a top Canadian Museum, the photographs would be seen by many many people if the work was shown in this venue. I also wanted my parents to be able to view the work in a wonderful first rate museum like the AGA, dad and mom are getting older (dad is 80) and time is running short for that part of the dream to come true.

I need to not get to to down, I need to put this into the proper perspective, the AGA shows Warhol, Monet, Karsh and Burtynsky so its a huge step up in weight class for me to be shown there (even if it is only in the RBC New Works Alberta artist only gallery) I cannot become discouraged, I need to push myself forward and double my efforts, to keep plugging away untill I get the work shown at the AGA and elsewhere. Step by step builds the cathedral.

I have 2 more show submission ideas in the works, "Ladyboy Sex Worker" and "Muay Thai Boxer". I plan on making those submissions to the AGA in the year 2012, after that work is rejected I will create new photographs and new submissions to show them. I am also trying to get some of the AGA people to visit my upcoming shows at the VAAA and Kaasa galleries. At least the AGA people took the time to look over the work, at least they have some faint idea of the works existence, it is a small step in the right direction.

I know what I am doing is the right road for me, I feel it deep down in my heart, I feel I am on the right track, telling the right stories. I have to keep at it and work harder, eventually the AGA and others will think the work is worth showing. When I do get the work shown I will have repaid the debt I owe my subjects, I will get their stories told, nothings going to stop me!