Not only am I starting to connect to the local artist community and groups; but I am still a newbie in this town, still acclimating, and still feeling on the outskirts a little. I always feel a little awkward showing up somewhere unannounced and alone, but it was well worth making another step forward. So off I went to the Black Swamp Arts Festival’s monthly meeting, and was warmly welcomed as the public, in general, is highly encouraged to get in and participate.
They are a very friendly group which does a lot of very hard and thoughtful work. All in order to put on a huge and safe event that the public gets for FREE! An event that gives artist of many genres a venue to reach customers, other artists, and inspire the next generation of artists. It is amazing what they do to make this a quality and enriching event for every age.
Clearly a diverse group of people both by background and by talents. Looks like the festival this year is going to be even better than before. Volunteering is a great way to get into the arts community and build relationships. What I love is all the phenomenal live music they bring in at night. It’s free, and I can build a fire in my backyard and enjoy!
Even more exciting is the building up of an Arts Council to network artist and more. There is nothing about my choice to move down here that has backfired. Next week my daughter goes into daycare and I will really be able to focus on my studio time. I am also excited for her getting to be around so many more children her age and having an absolute blast.
One of my next goals with these ventures is to start a creativity cluster for artist to work together for growth and to jointly resource for figure models and such. Now off I go to follow up on the promises I made to get the Black Swamp Arts Festival some information on grants from the Ford Foundation for the development of art communities.
