March 2020

Anne McKim: First post and a poem

Published on

Zach Evans, the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana’s Director of Marketing and Community Projects, suggested that each staff member write a weekly blog post during this time of virtual programming and virtual connection. Great idea, and easy enough: This is a chance to share with Arts Council friends who we are, the art that excites us, or why we’re so committed to this organization. 

My posts will be published on Tuesday mornings. At 10:30 p.m. on Monday night, and after several rewrites, here’s what I have so far:

Anne Blog.
Angle Nob.
Non Bagel.
Long Bean.
Bon Angel.

As it turns out, writing blogs doesn’t come easily to me. (This is not good. No one wants to disappoint Zach.)

It’s been a long time — a very long time — since I last wrote for pleasure, which is, really, part of this project. Zach, Andrea Adams (our Gallery Director) and I aren’t just sharing our thoughts through these posts, we’re intentionally encouraging each other to flex our own dormant creative muscles — the muscles that we spend our professional (and often personal) time, energy, and resources celebrating in others. And, as I type it, that is why I love the Arts Council.

It’s incredibly hard to create, to communicate, to make something from nothing. It’s incredibly humbling to be as vulnerable as one is when sending a message out to the world. Every single day, the Arts Council displays work or provides a venue for performances by the people doing just that, Every. Single. Day.

So, in honor of all of the vulnerable and persistent and audacious artists that we work with, I’m doing something that I’ve never done before: sharing a piece of writing that I put myself into, that I care about. *takes deep breath* Here it goes:

Rory Poem:

My boy does not want your ladder.

No hard feelings- He doesn’t want mine.  

Safely secured, 
Belayer in place, 
My son freezes, hangs limp against the rock.

A wall, though, or a tree.  
The garden shed.  
Counter tops and bed frames and roofs of cars,

Vines and stop signs.

Perhaps a ladder – but only one left unattended.  

This child manipulates gravity 
to control bedtime and pizza toppings 
and every moment 
of standing and falling
in line 
every day
every day
every day.

Sinewy-young-boy-muscles propel him upward, ever upward,  

We’re left to follow him  
with eyes from below.  

_________

And now I’m off to begin the first of 12 to 15 rewrites of next week’s blog post.  Fortunately I have plenty of time on my hands these days… 🙂

Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

You might be interested in

Make art: Arts Council to close temporarily, but encourages artists to create

Published on

As a proactive measure for the health of our community and patrons, the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana is closed from Saturday, March 14 through Monday, March 23. All programs scheduled during that time are also canceled.

As social distancing and cancellations mount, the Arts Council wants to encourage our artists to still create.

Arts Council Executive Director Anne McKim said to let this time be your most creative.

“Wash your hands. Cough into your elbow. Don’t touch your face. MAKE ART,” McKim said.

“There is no road map for navigating this unprecedented time. The only thing we know with certainty is that for a while, ‘normal’ is going to be very, very abnormal. But do you know who does abnormal best? Artists. Who takes the strange, the frightening, the surprising, the complex and manipulates it into an expression of honesty, of truth, of shared experience? Artists. Musicians. Performers. Poets.

“Let this time be your most creative. Your work is our comfort in adversity, a record of our history, and a reminder that we’re all in this together.”

Canceled events include the Young at Art exhibit reception and PG Anniversary concert on March 14, the Brown Bag performance on March 18, the Amblare and People Proof concert on March 19, and the city of Evansville flag visioning session on March 21.

The Classics Concert featuring Greg Jukes will still take place at 7 p.m. Friday, March 13 at First Presbyterian Church. Church officials have closed off every other pew to allow for distance between concert-goers. It is advised that anyone over the age of 60 not attend as a precaution.

The gallery will be closed during at least the next week, but the Arts Council staff will remain hard at work. Our website will include photos of our current exhibit, Young at Art, for all the enjoy. The show features 185 pieces from area K-8 students. We also want to share what you create. Tag the Arts Council with your work these next few weeks, and we’ll share it on our platforms.

Arts Council staff will evaluate scheduled programming and gallery hours after March 23 over the next week.