The Birds Speak Part 3

Greeny Bird: Arn't you with D-- T in Chelsea? That's Polly's gallery. ( There is a flurry of exitement since all the birds know Polly and her work. Many would kill to be in that gallery.

Other Birds: That's a good gallery! How? Why?

Me: You mean why would I move to Pittsburgh and start my own place?

Greeny Bird: I mean, I understand what you are saying and what you are trying to do--But? But?

Pink Bird: I mean You were doing OK. We would all have loved to get that far. You were on the road. You were r-

Me: Represented? You know how it works. Nothing is in writing. You pledge to them and they play it by ear. There's always another bird with pretty feathers or some new thing.

Other Birds: But. But, this is what we are all here for. It's what we all want.

Middle Aged Bird: I know what he's talking about. Most of my friends that are with galleries still are on the edge. Everyone has to teach and a lot of them have had to move out of town to do thier work.

Teeny Bird: I um, I um don't understand. You mean even if you ---. He starts to cry and shake. Several birds rush to hug him. ( a tide of anger seems pulse through all the birds )

Me: Now, do you see why I left. We are just being played for suckers. We can't afford to live here and we can barely get our work done . The scene dosn't revolve around us. We are the Birds that made NY and now we are just supposed to suffer in some hole while everyone else makes money off of us? You have seen how it works. It's a game, we come in fix up an area and do cool stuff and then get kicked out so we can do it again.

Greeny Bird: It's just the artist's life.

Other Birds: Yes, we get it. But is it realistic to change it. It's always worked that way.

Me: Because, we let it.

Old Bird: Yes! If I had only bought my place in the East Village or the one I had when I lived in Brooklyn. It was a crack house.

Me: So, as you can see. I am doing this because I want revenge.

Middle Aged Bird: I see what you mean. You think if you pull us out you can pull the whole scene down.

Me: Yes and re- build it from the ground up. This time we own the buildings and we make the rules. If someone likes what we are doing or want's to buy some art they can come to us.

Greeny Bird: You don't mean destroy the galleries do you? I mean do you think that they would move?

Young Bird: A lot of new places have opened in Philly and didn't Joe open up a place in Germany?

Greeny Bird: Germany!!, yes there is a lot of buzz about Germany.

Me: Think about it. Most NY dealers don't own thier buildings. They are under the same gun.

To Be Continued