ArtWorks945 Blog

Bridges Update

March 11, 2010

In preparation for the current Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World course, we re-visited a useful table in Phil DeVol’s facilitators’ guide on how issues are addressed at different economic levels. It utilizes the different foci of attention that undergird the Hidden Rules.

POVERTY	MIDDLE CLASS	WEALTH
Having a job Hourly wages	Appropriate, challenging job Salary and benefits	Maintenance and growth of assets Quality and quantity of workforce
Safety of schools	Quality of schools	K-12 higher education continuum Technical innovation Intermediate colleges and trade schools
A place to rent/live Affordable housing	Property values Quality of schools Quality of neighborhood	Corporate investment potential Infrastructure to support development
Welfare benefits	Taxes	Balance of trade Percentage of taxes Tort liability Corporate contributions Percentage of government indebt
Fairness of law enforcement Gangs	Safety Crime rates	Risk management Bond ratings Insurance ratings
Access to emergency rooms	Cost of medical insurance Quality and expertise of medical profession	Cost/predicted costs of medical benefits Workers’ compensation
Public transportation	Network of freeways Traffic congestion Time commuting	Systems of transportation (railway, bus, air, etc.) Maintenance of the infrastructure
Have enough food	Access to quality restaurants Variety/quality of food available	Access to high-quality restaurants Amenities for clients Availability of fresh food

Upcoming Bridges seminars

These seminars are 6 hours in total, offered in 2 three-hour blocks)

contact Paul by email or phone (704-926-0612) if you’d like to register

Day One (Class Matters) –

Christ Lutheran Church, 4545 Providence Road, March 12 (6-9 pm) & March 13 (9 am – noon)

Avondale Presbyterian Church, 2821 Park Road, March 17 & 24, 6-9 pm

Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Road, April 24, 9 am – 4 pm

Day Two (Building Relationships) –

Urban Ministry Center, March 20 & 27, 9 am - noon

If you (or someone you know) wants to be on the Bridges prospects list, email Paul - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ArtWorks945 at the Charlotte Art League

| Print |

Jewel Reavis, president and gallery rental chair of the Charlotte Art League, has generously donated ArtWorks 945 wall space at CAL's upcoming exhibit. The theme for the exhibit is METAMORPHOSIS. CAL is located in SouthEnd, at 1517 Camden Road. The exhibit will open this Friday March 5 from 6-9pm, during the South End Gallery Crawl. Come join us in celebrating our artists' work, as well as the work of other community artists. We're hoping to get some of our artists to the opening, too! See you there.

Thanks to CAL for their new partnership with us! For more information on the Charlotte Art League, visit their website at www.charlotteartleague.org.

Constantly Risking Absurdity

| Print |

Constantly Risking Absurdity

by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Constantly risking absurdity

and death

whenever he performs

above the heads

of his audience

the poet like an acrobat

climbs on rime

to a high wire of his own making

and balancing on eyebeams

above a sea of faces

paces his way

to the other side of day

performing entrechats

and sleight-of-foot tricks

and other high theatrics

and all without mistaking

any thing

for what it may not be

For he's the super realist

who must perforce perceive

taut truth

before the taking of each stance or step

in his supposed advance

toward that still higher perch

where Beauty stands and waits

with gravity

to start her death-defying leap

And he

a little charleychaplin man

who may or may not catch

her fair eternal form

spreadeagled in the empty air

of existence

Our final exercise in our Tuesday drama class, hosted by Machine Theatre, consisted of different individuals reading the same poem, one after the other, each in his or her own voice. We discussed the way that each reading brought to light something different about the poem.

We spent time discussing the risky nature of art-making. One of the neighbors brought up the gap in understanding between the speaker/artist and the listener/audience. Over time the discussion grew into a sharing of many of the neighbors' experiences with their own artistic expressions. They talked about our nature to judge ourselves, to see ourselves from the outside, and what a hindrance that can be to true expression.

Finally we go into a long discussion on WHY we create...why we continue to do this very risky, absurd business of expressing ourselves. One of the neighbors brought up the idea that to her, everything is poetry, that poetry is a way of seeing, and that creating is a way to share that world-view. We create to connect: to connect with Beauty--high on her perch, and by extension, to connect with each other. We create to communicate.

Good Coffee, Good Art!

| Print |

Our weekly Friday acrylic class has been postponed until February. The teacher of the class, David Alan Goldberg, better known as DAG, is preparing for a show of his work at Julia's Coffee. His show will run for the whole month of February, with an opening on the 12, starting at 6:30pm. I'd like to encourage everyone to attend! DAG has great talent, and I look forward to his continued partnership with our artists. Let's show him support, too! And while you're there, buy some coffee! Sales of Julia's coffee ultimately work to promote affordable housing and ameliorate homelessness by funding the ReStore (where proceeds go to the building of Habitat homes).

Recent Publicity About ArtWorks 945

| Print |

ArtWorks 945 has recently gained attention due to the fantastic partnership with Machine Theatre. Here are some links to the written pieces and an interview between ArtWorks 945 Director, Penny Mann, and Machine Theatre's Barbi Van Schaik.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/277/story/1143712.html

www.youtube.com/watch

ArtWorks945 Blog

Bridges Update

ArtWorks945 at the Charlotte Art League

Constantly Risking Absurdity

Constantly Risking Absurdity

by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Good Coffee, Good Art!

Recent Publicity About ArtWorks 945

More Articles...