How seductive is the energy and passion of those just beginning?
It happened again, I came across a group of people who have a bold new idea for an art project here in Spokane. Spokane is a place that loves art, I will never be able to express it clearly enough. From Garland to SVAC, The MAC to The Corbin, all the way over to the brand new Hillyard Creative District; art organizations are everywhere including the ones that I am involved in that I didn’t mention here. I am always looking at advertised studio spaces and answered an ad last night to see a new one available downtown. A building that has been a part of Spokane since the 1800’s, is quietly incubating a newer creative community. The space that was available wasn’t what I wanted in a price I could afford but the passion on the guide’s face was seductive. Music, performance, and visual arts all in one space just waiting to come together under one non-profit. I wish them all well and I hope that they can make it work.
My husband and I talked about their vision and dreams as we drove away from the weight of their hopes and spoke of lottery windfall and “what if’s”. In the end we came up with an understanding of a few clear concepts. My husband and I have clear goals for my professional future and while Spokane is an amazing place, it isn’t the only place that I want to have my art represented. Organizations like this young individual presented to me need a lot of commitment in the beginning and I understand the limitations of my drive and focus, as well as my bank book.
Earlier that day, 3 of my art friends and I had traveled to an art place on the Palouse. The Dahmen Art Barn has 15 studios that are always full and enjoys a waiting list for artists wanting to be in them. One of them is an amazing woman who has always been my Aunt Judy. Judy Fairley is a master of Acrylic, Scratchboard and Pastel and has been one of my many creative supporters since I was a small child and she has made sure that I made it to “Do Not Miss” workshops with masters such as Lorenzo Chavez and Mike Beeman. Back to my friends, we all were talking about how amazing the Barn was; and how wonderful it was to be in a place that was so friendly. Being a creative can be lonely, studios at home and working is very solitary. After that conversation with them, the idea of joining the group of people in this new cooperative was like a siren’s call. The problem comes in when you realize that you might end up being a standard philips screw driver looking at a star drive bolt.
Spokane can do that to you, as a creatively supportive place; like an artists candy store. It offers you so many choices and opportunities that sooner or later you are standing there with too many irons in the fire and no sense of business direction. Please don’t get me wrong, but just going into an Art Supply Store, you need to keep an eye on your budget and what your finished project is. We need places like Spokane; More now than ever. Art is important and having cities in our nation that not only support it but nurture it; keep our voice as a society alive. It is an incubator for creatives and helps emerging artists take their first steps and spread their wings.
So here is to the dreamers who live in Spokane. The planters of hope and creative joy, may your visions find clear paths and create new artists that speak to and guide future voices.