My Pipe Dream
I envision a place, a public place, to just go and be. A place outside your house where you can go and hang out without there being a scheduled event that costs money and requires being available at a specific time, or a community class that costs money and requires a lengthy commitment over several weeks, or having to buy and consume food or drink that you don't necessarily even want. A place where you can just stop by, whenever you feel like it and for however long you feel like it, without advance notice or commitment, or payment. A community living room. A place with comfy squishy couches, board games, magazines, a coffee machine, a radio, and art supplies (though there would necessarily need to be payment involved for using the art supplies, so they can be replaced, but probably on a sliding scale so as to not be prohibitive, because that would defeat the whole point). Someone would be available to help people use the art supplies, if they need help learning to use them, but experienced artists could also come and jump right in. A place where community and talking to strangers are encouraged and supported, so people can come by themselves, but leave with new friends. A place that is set up for people of all ages and abilities, where the lines that exist in society between different groups (for instance, between children and adults, and the disabled and non) are blurred.
The intention behind this pipe dream is twofold. First, it would be to expose art to the larger community. The art world, as it stands, is very exclusive, which is really unfortunate because so many people could benefit from it. Supplies are expensive and working in your own home requires the space to do so (and art, generally, requires a lot of space, between supply storage and working space). The only existing options for creating outside your home are taking a class, which is both expensive and requires a time commitment that might turn off beginners or busy people, or renting studio space, which is even more expensive and requires even more of a commitment. I was fortunate to initially be exposed to art in school, but nowadays many schools, especially public schools, are eliminating art programs because of budget cuts.
Even viewing art is exclusive, both financially and culturally...many people feel uncomfortable in galleries because there are certain expectations of dress and behavior. The place in my pipe dream would be a place where you could show up in sweats or pajama bottoms if you wanted to, where being loud and boisterous is not only allowed but encouraged, where children (and childlike adults) could run around the room and dance and sing, where art is displayed not only to look at but to touch and manipulate and learn from.
The second major goal would be community. Art, I believe, is something that is best done in community, where artists can inspire and learn from one another. But it wouldn't just be a space for art-making, even though that would be a major component. As I said, there would also be comfy couches, board games, a radio, and magazines. It would be like a living room for the entire neighborhood.
I feel like the modern world is very segregated, especially in urban areas. People meet each other through work, or school, or family, or through activities revolving around particular interests, which results in often quite homogeneous groups. Professionals with other professionals, college kids with other college kids, Christians with other Christians, parents with young children with other parents with young children, etc. And often, the only people who interact with people who are severely disabled are their families and those employed to work with them. And what of people who have just moved to a new city, don't know anybody, and don't yet have a job? What about people who have jobs, but don't get along with their coworkers? What about homeschooled children whose parents cannot find a cooperative, or kids who are bullied at school? This would be a place for those people and everybody else who's interested, a place to combat the segregation and isolation of modern society. A place outside one's own home to just go and be, in community. Filling a need and serving a purpose that church serves for many people, only unlike church, you don't have to be religious (or anything in particular), or even available at a particular time week after week.
This has been my pipe dream for a few years now. Who knows what will come of it, but it's fun to dream and to share dreams. What's your dream? If you could do anything at all, and money (or time or skill or whatever) weren't issues, what would it be? I believe in dreaming big first and worrying about practicalities later.
The intention behind this pipe dream is twofold. First, it would be to expose art to the larger community. The art world, as it stands, is very exclusive, which is really unfortunate because so many people could benefit from it. Supplies are expensive and working in your own home requires the space to do so (and art, generally, requires a lot of space, between supply storage and working space). The only existing options for creating outside your home are taking a class, which is both expensive and requires a time commitment that might turn off beginners or busy people, or renting studio space, which is even more expensive and requires even more of a commitment. I was fortunate to initially be exposed to art in school, but nowadays many schools, especially public schools, are eliminating art programs because of budget cuts.
Even viewing art is exclusive, both financially and culturally...many people feel uncomfortable in galleries because there are certain expectations of dress and behavior. The place in my pipe dream would be a place where you could show up in sweats or pajama bottoms if you wanted to, where being loud and boisterous is not only allowed but encouraged, where children (and childlike adults) could run around the room and dance and sing, where art is displayed not only to look at but to touch and manipulate and learn from.
The second major goal would be community. Art, I believe, is something that is best done in community, where artists can inspire and learn from one another. But it wouldn't just be a space for art-making, even though that would be a major component. As I said, there would also be comfy couches, board games, a radio, and magazines. It would be like a living room for the entire neighborhood.
I feel like the modern world is very segregated, especially in urban areas. People meet each other through work, or school, or family, or through activities revolving around particular interests, which results in often quite homogeneous groups. Professionals with other professionals, college kids with other college kids, Christians with other Christians, parents with young children with other parents with young children, etc. And often, the only people who interact with people who are severely disabled are their families and those employed to work with them. And what of people who have just moved to a new city, don't know anybody, and don't yet have a job? What about people who have jobs, but don't get along with their coworkers? What about homeschooled children whose parents cannot find a cooperative, or kids who are bullied at school? This would be a place for those people and everybody else who's interested, a place to combat the segregation and isolation of modern society. A place outside one's own home to just go and be, in community. Filling a need and serving a purpose that church serves for many people, only unlike church, you don't have to be religious (or anything in particular), or even available at a particular time week after week.
This has been my pipe dream for a few years now. Who knows what will come of it, but it's fun to dream and to share dreams. What's your dream? If you could do anything at all, and money (or time or skill or whatever) weren't issues, what would it be? I believe in dreaming big first and worrying about practicalities later.