When I began to work as an artist I wanted to be completely original, wholly singular. I housed a strong disdain for art history; I didn’t want to learn from others or to be influenced by anything. To be influenced at all negated my idea of originality. I wanted to believe that I created in …
I do any art form I can get my hands on; my artistic curiosity is something that I both enjoy and take pride in. There are, of course, art forms that I am more closely connected to right now, oil painting, creative writing, knitting, song writing, and pottery to name a few, but give me …
Like any good artist/thinker, every once in a while I have an existential crisis. Is there any point? Does looking at pretty pictures ever actually matter? Am I making any difference? Why should we do anything when in the end we all die and the earth gets blown up by the sun? That sort of …
It took me a while to decide on a New Year’s resolution this year. I had little plans, making sure I was doing things on time and keeping my life organized, but nothing more than I do all the time. Those mental reminders that you always tell yourself and hope that this time you’ll actually stay on …
My first intensive weekend class at Lesley University perfectly exemplified the source of my passion and of community art: the sheer amount of creative energy that can accumulate from a group of inspired and inspirational individuals. This energy can be created within any group, but over the course of the weekend I experienced the powerful …
As I began my foray into the actual theory and thought of the existing community art world, I encountered a discrepancy at the very entrance: no one knows exactly what to call this field. Arlene Goldbard sticks with Community Cultural Development while Tom Borrup chooses Creative Community Building. These are just two examples of the rampant terms that exist …
It’s about time for me to mention the woman who first introduced me to the world of Community Art: Claudia Bernardi. I’ve already alluded to her once or twice because, as the woman who opened this world to me, she often comes to mind when I think about it. I first met Claudia in my sophomore …
So far I’ve been focusing mostly on communities creating art, which makes sense when trying to define Community Art. I’ve listened to musicians, read about museums, and researched as much as I can before I get distracted by my next big idea. But there is another important way that community art can be created; along …
For the past month I’ve been in a whirlwind of everything happening very quickly interspersed with moments of absolute nothing. Neither of these states has encouraged my writing here, although I have scribbled in notebooks while familiarizing myself with the local bus and train system. But once I get home I want nothing more to …
I’ve been haunting the New Village Press website recently, wallowing in indecision about whether or not to buy one of their fantastic books. On one hand, I would love to be able to sit down and plow my way through everything that has been put forth by this wonderful publisher, but on the other I have reading …