Have you ever seen a braided river in the wilds of Alaska? They are wide, meandering beds of water that flow not in one big solid body of current, but as an assortment of narrow paths that ebb and flow and weave and turn as patterns (wind, rocks, quantity) change. The narrow river-ettes (I made that word up) all tend to go the same direction eventually, but are called “braided” rivers because the pieces criss-cross and entwine as often as they run alone in a wide arc back to the main branch. They are constantly under redirection within the confines of one wide river bed.
Such is the concept and the vision of the upcoming merger of
Journey Art Gallery (returning to the Journey Studios name) with the Snarky Art
studio, to become a new entity on the west coast of the Arts District as you
know it, and an anchor tenant of the Canton Fashion District as we see it.
Now that Su has made public the changes to come, it is my
chance to look back (and look deeper) so you all understand why this is
happening. Simply stated, all artists must grow and explore and create or they
will wither away. The Journey Art Gallery as it exists today has served its
purpose, served its community and fulfilled its original mission statement. The
journey was a success by all measures of what she wanted it to be and to what
point it could and would aspire.
That being said, in an ever changing world of what
constitutes “art” and what the public wants to consume and accept as “art”, it
becomes a necessity to stay fresh, current and viable. Television studios
constantly add new shows to their lineups and drop what is not working. Movies
are new to the screen each and every week. Clothing styles are introduced
worldwide multiple times a year during fashion weeks. Even your local
restaurant menu changes fairly often….so why not “art galleries”? To stay solvent in this business of ours, one
must not be afraid to take a new look and a different point of view based on what
has been learned. The art world of even 5 years ago is not the art world of
today because of many factors, not the least of which are technology, online
shopping, transient communities and people wanting to live with less. The
permanent is out, the consumable or usable is in.
With thoughts such as those in mind, we had many conversations
over the past several months and worked very hard to come up with a solution to
make “creativity” a viable and relevant business plan. Toss in a leap of faith
and with hard work and a vision based on a braided river, what will emerge on
the corner of 4th and McKinley will be anyone’s guess at this point
if one is trying to pin a label on us. The path will be in one direction but
how it gets there will be up to our creative muses of the moment…..we want to
make new ways for art to happen and to be relevant not only to the Canton
community, but to a broader, wider audience of consumers.
For certain, there will be fashions that are one of a kind
creations, hers, mine, ours, other artists who specialize in the textile arts.
There will be painting, painting as fashion, painting as art, and an
exploration of how technology affects this fusion. There will be the fruition
of visions and ideas, the creation of concepts that have been trying to find
time to be realized, and a space where 2 artists can work and people can shop,
all while having as much fun as we can possibly provide. After all, if life and
hard work are not fun, then what is the point?
We are counting on YOU, to shop locally, to continue to
participate in our community projects, spread the word and bring people
downtown. The friends and supporters of
Journey Art Gallery will not be disappointed at what is to come, we know you
like art, you like to see different things, you like to get your hands dirty
once ‘n awhile and you have trust in us to keep our corner alive and active and
inspiring. So stayed tuned…..the best is yet to come.
