These are dry times. Summer slips away faster than you can catch it – a dime down the drain. The sky hangs damp and icy today. Across the globe, powerful little men toy with the world’s future like it’s a game of chicken. Hurricanes have ravaged large parts of our earth. Families will suffer the effects for years to come. Terrorists won’t let London sleep.
This planet can get so ugly. So broken. So disordered. So many of our mirrors are shattered.
There is order in beauty. A divine order, I believe, but whatever your theology you can feel it. The affirmation of disparate parts falling into place.
Jennifer Berkenbosch’s Cultivar matters because the world needs beauty today. We need to be reminded that there is goodness. There is a solid bed beneath this wild river.
Leading up to Bridge Songs: Perfict, we've launched a podcast! Storm the Perfict will span 12 episodes, each exactly 12 minutes, looking at perfection through the eyes or local artists.
You can subscribe on iTunes here.
In this episode of Storm the Perfict, I talk with Christy Morin, founder of Arts On The Ave, The Carrot, the Kaleido Festival and more. Having lived in in Alberta Avenue for 21 years now, Christy knows what it takes to build community, and just how imperfect community can be.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
It's late last week when I see the CBC logo in my email inbox. The message is from CBC's Isabelle Gallant. She produces the afternoon show, Radio Active. I'm not expecting this email, but it is just what I've been hoping for. Someone in the media has caught wind of Blue Christmas, and thinks it will make a unique Christmas story.
I agree, but I'm more than a little biased.
We exchange emails and set a time to meet. Tuesday afternoon I light the fireplace, start the music and tidy up for company. I open the door for the first radio interview in our new space. I give Isabelle a quick tour and then we sit down for a chat. As is the custom for this show, we've both removed our shoes.
Isabelle asks me to describe the space for those who will be listening. I'm reminded that this is radio and there are no visuals to accompany the story. Giving a description takes more effort—and time—than planned. But as I'll find out later, there is a great deal of magic in the editing room.
A couple of days later, Isabelle interviews Chynna Howard, the first participant in our Blue Christmas show. Chynna Howard with the snowman story. Chynna will share her story as part of Yule Ave tonight at 7 at the Alberta Avenue Community League.
I don't hear Chynna's part of the piece until you do—live on air. The kids and I are making our way home. We've just bought a little bookshelf for the space. I've just dropped the key off for our volunteer gallery attendants. I get in the car as the segment begins. I listen and choke back some tears. I'm moved by Chynna Howard's story. I'm also incredibly proud.
Proud of this segment. Proud of Blue Christmas and the team that has brought it to life. Proud of the Bleeding Heart Art Space. Proud that we are here, already, doing what we hoped we'd do. Making connections. Having conversations. Spreading art, faith, hope and love.
Art speaks, and for 6 and a half minutes on Thursday afternoon, Edmontonians stopped to listen.
Here is what we heard.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Until now, we've done well incarnating space wherever and whenever we are able. Living rooms. Wood-lined and incense-infused church sanctuaries. Coffee shops. Art galleries. Community halls. We may still visit such spaces from time to time. But we have a home now.
Our new home is a space shared with Elm Catering, right on 118th Avenue, next door to the only place I know to get some of the best authentic Latin ingredients in town. If you drive by you'll see the Elm building getting a facelift as we speak.
This new home will provide us with permanent gallery space, so watch for a schedule of shows coming up. We hope to have our first show this December.
We will open that space up to those of you in the neighbourhood who need somewhere to work away from dishes and laundry and kids. We'll be creating the coolest little shared workspace we can dream up, most likely ready for you to rent out at a low rate early 2015. Interested? Fire me an email.
For me, the schedule for the next few months looks like this. Take possession. Move in. Decorate. Make it homey. Invite friends over. Hospitality is central to the Bleeding Heart vision. We're all very excited to share our home with you.
Thursday, November 13, 2014, we host our first Arts Potluck in the new space. I hope you can make it out, whether you have art to bring or not. I can't wait to give you a tour.
I was hoping you'd ask that.
I'm also hoping you are excited as I am about the prospects of a space dedication to art, faith and community in our city. A place where art, faith, hope and love can flourish. A place for questions and conversations. I'm hoping you are excited enough to support this space financially. I am.
As we are a project of Urban Bridge Church, we are able to issue tax receipts for your giving. We are so grateful to be a small part of a larger family like Urban Bridge, and they have a lot of faith in us. The Urban Bridge community and a few others have already helped us raise enough for our first year in the space. My hope is to spend that year gathering enough monthly supporters to keep us in our new home for the long haul.
The Daring Dozen will be 12 organizations, businesses or individuals willing to give $100 a month to support the space. This is our rent money. This keeps our lights on. We have our first 2 already. Just 10 more to go.
The Hundred Heartbeats will give $20 a month to power our programming. We need 100 of you who are willing to give at this level, so please consider what a project like this is worth to you. I have no doubts there are 100 people in Edmonton who will support a space like this. And because you do, we'll be able to host shows, put on Bridge Songs every year, pay artists appropriate exhibit fees, etc. Th more programming money we raise, the more we can do.
I am so blessed to make an announcement like this. So blessed to be on the cusp of dreams realized. So blessed to share this with you. Without you, the Bleeding Heart team and I would be just a handful of lonely, crazy people ranting about our dreams. But we're not. We are a community about to set out a welcome mat in Edmonton's most exciting neighbourhood.
Knock knock.
Of course, you knew this already, because you are on our super-special email list, right? Right?
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
