Today was the Medium Festival of Photography and the community print hang. Just before leaving my house, I decided to make a mini photo installation for the print hang. My plan was to create a rectangle with blue painter’s tape, photograph it with Instax film, and then place the photograph inside the taped rectangle on the wall. I thought it would be a funny way to show that I had made it in the museum that very day.

Blue Tape 1

This year, the festival was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. I arrived early to create and install the piece before anyone else had put their art on the wall. It took me about five shots to get it right. I had to use the close-up adapter, something I had never used before.

Blue Tape 2

The final photograph came out exactly as I had envisioned it. Shortly after other people started hanging their pictures, my friend Patricia told me museum staff made her remove the “blue tape frame” from around my photograph. I found this hilarious! Every picture on the wall was attached with blue painter’s tape on the backs of the prints. Apparently, the Museum of Contemporary Art is too snooty for exposed blue tape on its wall!

Later, a person came up to me to confirm that the photograph, Blue Tape, was mine and asked if I would be willing to give it to them. I was surprised that someone would like my art and nervous about giving away something I had just made. I asked for some time to think about parting with the photograph.

I decided it would be better for Blue Tape to be enjoyed on their wall than for me to put it in a box in my studio. It was a little scary, but in the end, it felt good to give it away. Seeing how excited they were reassured me that I had made the right decision.

Blue Tape 4