Dear Friend,
As a year filled with unexpected plot twists draws to a close, we look forward to turning the page. In spite of the unprecedented challenges facing our community, we can reflect on and appreciate all that we have learned in 2020.
Creative Growth is adaptable. With a solid foundation of programs bringing people together online, artists are sharing ideas and exploring new mediums collaboratively. As an example, Studio Instructor Kathleen Henderson and Visiting Artist Lorraine Lupo now offer a weekly online Poetry Workshop, where artists spontaneously contribute lines in a collective creative process.
Portrait of Todd Blair by Diana Rothery
“It’s a together activity we do in complement with each other,” said Creative Growth artist Todd Blair. “That aspect of it has led me to the realization that when I make a sculpture, I make it with other people, with my imagination, and with people around me. It’s a complementary activity, and a collage of all these components.”
“Our collaborative poems were previously often written in an atmosphere of camaraderie and fun,” noted Lorraine. “When the pandemic struck I was worried about losing that spirit now that we offer programs remotely. Our experience and the resulting poems have proven my worries unnecessary. Reading them, I am reminded of what I aspire to as a poet myself: uniqueness of vision, sincerity and silliness, openness to the world and to each other.”
Creative Growth is a truly unique community of artists lifting one another up. Guest Poet-in-Residence Kostas Anagnopoulos observed, “What stood out to me from the beginning was how supportive the artists were of one another; they encouraged and applauded each other, expressing a genuine interest in exactly what each of their colleagues was trying to convey or wished to contribute.”
Portrait of Sher-ron Freeman by Diana Rothery
Creative Growth will continue to evolve, but only through the momentum of your support. With online programs requiring smaller class sizes and additional staff and technological resources, new operational expenses related to the pandemic mounting in the budget, and the loss of income from postponed special events, the organization is facing a significant deficit. Please make an essential gift of any size today.
Artwork by Sher-ron Freeman, Untitled (SFr 006), Acrylic on paper, 22 x 30 inches
Art has the power to sustain us through the toughest of times. So as the end of 2020 approaches, please take a moment to reflect. What did you learn? How did your community lift you up? And what does the next page hold? Consider donating to sustain Creative Growth and join us in turning the page, illuminating the many collaborations that 2021 promises for us all.
Thank you,
Elizabeth Brodersen, Executive Director
Tom di Maria, Director of External Relations