Worcester is a fun place to live and a place that, despite its population of nearly 200,000 people, has a way of creating a really town-like atmosphere at times and I think a lot of that has to do with the people who make it their purpose to build a sense of community.
This has it’s drawbacks…actually, a lot of them. Everyone in the A&E scene knows everyone else, which makes it very difficult to find unbiased writing when it comes to A&E events. We’ve got one weekly publication that emphasizes the arts, and their one A&E writer tends to only write about their friends. I’m not kidding – I’ve even put this to the test. Over the past 6 years, in a city of 200,000 he has only found about 10 people worthy of profiling from time to time.
I hate playing those games where you reach out and keep in touch with certain people only to make sure that they remember your name in hopes of one day being chosen for the spotlight that they control with a fickle fist.
Screw their spotlight…I’ll make my own.
Honestly, I really do try to remain as neutral of a party as I can, while still forging relationships with gallery owners and artists. For someone like myself that shudders at the thought of networking, it has become a necessary evil which I find that I have to deal with constantly. But through this, I’ve familiarized myself with the type of art, the mediums in which they are produced, and the overall caliber that is customary in the area.
I’m vice chair of the Worcester Arts Council, and despite the fancy title, it just basically involves reviewing grant applications that artists and cultural event coordinators submit in order to get a sweet slice of the money that the state budget puts in our hands to allot to people in the community. This puts me in a unique position because it allows me to see a broad range and cross-section of artists in all types of mediums, and then follow their project up to its public display. Because of this process, I’ve found that I’m uniquely capable of seeing beyond what I find attractive and make judgments based on merit and public benefit rather than just on whatever I think is ‘cool’ at that moment in time.
I think that everyone’s experience is unique and that there is plenty of room for a few more voices. I’m no critic, but I know what I like and what I don’t like, and that I have stories that I can share about people, and places and about the things that make my city interesting, and quirky, and well…feel like home.
At least, that is where I’m going to start. Who knows exactly where I will end up from here.