My Percolator Sabbatical

 To friends and supporters of the Lawrence Percolator,

 

In November it will have been six years since the Lawrence Percolator was hatched out of a community meeting concerning the precarious nature of our arts scene and how we could make it better. Attendees at that meeting, who ranged from local artists to museum professionals and city officials, had many solutions including tax breaks for arts oriented businesses and a downtown first Friday type event. There were also those (I was in this group) who suggested that there was something missing in the constellation of spaces and organizations that made up our cultural scene, and that a new kind of arts endeavor was needed. 

We imagined that it would be a place where artists and audiences could collaborate and experiment together, a place that would be embedded within our neighborhood and would become part of its struggles and celebrations, and a place and an idea that would infuse its shows and events with the energy and imagination of a small group of dedicated makers and thinkers - a sort of art collective, think-tank, neighborhood hangout with the atmosphere of an on-going potluck, grounded by a rigorous and passionate belief that art could serve the highest and most practical purposes.
 

From that impulse came the Percolator.

In the nearly six years since, I have had the great good fortune to work with some of the most interesting and creative people I have ever known - on our board, from the broader arts community, and from the diverse, passionate and growing audience of people who have found what we do worth their attention. Now, at least for awhile, I will be part of that audience too since I have chosen to take a break from having a formal role with the Percolator. 

I’ll call it a sabbatical since I can’t imagine not being connected to the Percolator in some way. My choice to step away from the board is due in large part to my upcoming schedule of mural projects that will keep me out of town too much to be a responsible board member. I leave with the confidence that the Percolator will find new energy and new opportunities with new people in the mix as we always have.

As friends and supporters of the Percolator, I ask you to continue be involved in this dynamic and precious idea and place. The Percolator depends on the dedication and hard work of volunteers to sustain it. If you think the Percolator is important, then it needs you. Please consider becoming a board member, curating a show, or volunteering in whatever capacity suits you. The Percolator is our home grown, free-range, alternative arts space. Care for it and it will blossom.

best,

Dave