“Art has to do with being, existing, survival, and life.” -Calvin Brunett*

We must remind ourselves of the above statement when working within our immediate environment and in wider capacities. Many of us search for an end product to achieve and sell. Yet, we forget the simple tasks of life can be eloquently colored experiences and happenings. This truth can not be hanged on a pristine wall or wooden stand. Nor can it be sold.

We must consistently share in the arts and be dedicated to longterm experiences. I will be telling all I can about my experience at the convening & what I’ll learn in hopes that more lives are creatively inspired. We should share what we learn in this upcoming week; whether it be person to person or at large. Use this experience to educate and motivate each other, in the arts.

Lately, I keep running into the same question from my colleagues, hopeful collaborators, and friends: “How can I survive, creating my/our vision?”  This quest shouldn’t be a lonely, singular action. We are on a boat together.

Gas bills. 20 meetings. Student Loans…. life. Existing is an art. It is an art to be honored. We must push for more collaborative efforts in the St. Louis area, and across all spectrums of everyday life. That is how the arts survive. We can not survive on temporal short term experiences, nor can our communities.

I am looking forward to the Joint Task Force.

*Calvin Brunett is an artist & educator from Massachusetts. I first became aquainted with his work when reading Black Artists on Art, a small art book  I recieved while living in Memphis…. but that’s a different story for a different day….

…back to the convening. What is everyone reading? I am revisiting Bill Cleveland’s Making Exact Change and Damballah by John Edgar Wideman.

-dail.