I struggle for ways to acknowledge this solemn anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Should I ignore the date on my calendar, or try to write something profoundly moving?
©Gail Haile, Setting Sun Mandala. Photo collage. Used with permission.
Usually I ignore the date in my emails and on my blog, which seems more appropriate for my audience. This year I had an idea to use this space to focus on one of my top values and priorities: community.
Community is a value I absorbed from my mother and is something we cherished following September 11, 2001.
The Strength of Artists as a Community
I am inspired by a quote from Christy MacLear, Executive Director of The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. In a 2012 article in The New York Times, MacLear said of Rauschenberg:
Bob wasn’t all that interested in just his own voice. He was a big believer in the overall strength of artists as a community.
Artists as a community. Strong.
It’s not often that I miss my college days, but I am nostalgic about the daily routine of stimulating lectures, discussing art, making art, and sharing struggles with my fellow students. We benefited from community.
Since 2002 I have tried to get as close as I can to this environment in my online classes, my blog posts, live events and, especially, my membership programs as community is one of my top values.
©Emilia Van Nest Markovich, Pond Rings II. Pastel collage, 22 x 22 inches. Used with permission.
My Definition of Community
To me, community is a place where people are supportive of one another. They might share a geographical location or a common interest, but these alone don’t result in community.
Members of a community share a concern about something that is bigger than themselves – something that contributes to a better quality of life for other community members. They are willing to help one another achieve that goal.
An artists’ community centers on the cause of art and nurtures its transformational qualities in its members.
Deep Thought Thursday
What does an artists’ community mean to you?
What does “strength of” artists as a community mean? What can be accomplished by acknowledging artists in numbers?
Does it or should it have anything to do with politics?
How does an artists’ community relate to neighboring communities of non-artists? How should it?
What role does the Internet – or can the Internet – play regarding community?
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