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
