Art Gallery Concerts
I have always been interested in bringing together artists and academics from different disciplines, and am particularly struck by the polarity within the arts themselves. So many musician friends of mine are not interested in visual art – and many because they feel like they “don’t get it,” while many visual artist friends of mine (not to mention theater-friends and dancer-friends and, of course, academic-friends) scarcely ever attend classical concerts for the same reason. And yet, I believe that, fundamentally, all artists are trying to do the same thing! We are all out there to communicate, to express and share something that gives us hope, joy, comfort – and this speaks to the essence of humanity. One of the many ideas that I’ve thought about over the past several years has been this desire to bring together artists from different genres and allow them to explore each other’s work, discuss it, and, hopefully, leave a bit less intimated by the other’s field.
After a house concert in which I played in March of 2008, I began talking with a guest who also coordinates shows at a small art gallery in Chelsea. We were brainstorming collaborative ideas, and discussing this separation among artists, and just a few weeks later I was performing at the opening of a show at her gallery. I had an amazing time, talking with the artist about his work and my music, milling with the guests, and together cooking up all sorts of future ideas. I would LOVE to organize and work on more projects like this one – and I am always looking for those who are like-minded! Please get in touch with me if you want to chat about any sort of crazy collaborative idea or event. I’m particularly interested in finding ways to bring together musicians and writers (or music and literature) and musicians and visual artists, but why limit?