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Community Building is a Creative Act (July 2024 Newsletter)

Writer's picture: laceysquierlaceysquier

Updated: Jan 23

Dear friends and neighbors, 

 

My last message explored Ely's "off the charts arts," and I'm back to double down on the sentiment.

 

Indeed, since that time I had the distinct pleasure of spending 12 days working on a creative project at the Tofte Lake Center (TLC) with my friend and collaborator M Baxley of Bear Witness Media. Liz Engelman is the founder and executive director of TLC, with an illustrious career as a dramaturg. And it's ok if you don't know what a dramaturg is! She explained it well when she was a guest on the What's Up Ely Podcast.




It was under Liz's truly expert guidance and support that M and I were able to arrive at the one of the epiphanies at the heart of our project: 

 

Community building is a creative act. 

 

We are all artists. In this context, Liz's dramaturgical assertion that the greatest gift we can give someone is "to see them for who they are at their core," feels especially poignant. 

 

My time at the Tofte Lake Center helped me to absorb this valuable lesson, and it affirmed my participation in another Ely effort: Braver Angels. Our Braver Angels Alliance is a locally lead organization that seeks to bridge partisan divide, to help us see each other for who we are at our core.

 

I'm consistently struck by the passion with which all of my friends and neighbors care about this community, this place; that's a powerful shared experience. 

 

Powerful shared experience notwithstanding, conflict is an inherent part of the creative process, and indeed, community building. As community members (and as artists) we are strongest when we have the skills and the tools to handle the joys and the tensions of this shared experience well. 

 

With this I invite you to join me in attending a casual happy hour hosted by Ely's Braver Angels Alliance at SamZ Place on Wednesday, July 24 from 5pm to 7pm. You can learn more about Braver Angels by scrolling down and following the link to read Linda Sutton's recent blog post about why she advocates for Braver Angels, as well as a link a recording of  my recent conversation about Braver Angels with co-chairs Nick Wognum and Johnnie Hyde. 

 

Additionally, I invite you keep reading to learn about a selection of upcoming arts, cultural, and social opportunities in Ely. Because one of the best ways to learn about your own artistry is to experience the artistry of others. How lucky are we to live in such an artful community!?   

Looking forward to seeing you around (and perhaps at some of the following events!),


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