John Boylan’s Conversation
John Boylan’s Next Conversation
This episode: “Taking Stock…”
Tuesday, December 17, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Admission is free. Tell your friends.
This roundtable conversation series happens at Vermillion, an art gallery, bar, and neighborhood gathering place at 1508 11th Ave, Seattle (http://www.vermillionseattle.
A history of the conversations is available at http://boylanconversation.
The Summary
The days are growing shorter; the year is getting older. It’s a good time to take stock of our lives, our city, our culture, our world.
Read on for the details.
The Guests
This time, you’re the guests.
The Story
I’d been thinking of doing another conversation on food, in December. It’s a great season to explore the subject. But that did not come together. Next year.
So, every so often, we do a conversation without invited guests; the whole room becomes the guests. These discussions are usually smaller and more intimate than the conversations-with-guests. Last month’s conversation, “The Artist as Entrepreneur,” was well attended and full of energy. I’m expecting that “Taking Stock” will be quieter and perhaps more contemplative. We will see.
Our goal is to take stock of any number of things. To take stock is to make an inventory, an estimation of how things are, right now. It seems like a good time, as winter comes and we draw inward. We’ve just had an election, the international situation remains desperate, as usual, and it is hard to shake the feeling that we are going to hell in a handbasket. Or are we?
What of you? How is your work, your art, your music? What about your neighborhood? Are we finding the resources we need? If we’re looking for answers in the spirit, are we finding them?
We’ve just elected a new mayor. I didn’t vote for him, but he’s doing some smart things. What do you think? President Obama’s recent speeches suggest that he’s becoming a social justice crusader. Does that signal that he’s become a lame duck? Or maybe, are there new possibilities? Is there anything that people in Seattle can do to affect the 2014 national elections? The new Creative Advantage project may well revolutionize arts educations in city’s public schools. Where will that take us? What of the city’s cultural scene? The Pike and Pine neighborhood is a good candidate for becoming the cultural center of the city. (Think about it: a university, a college, two art schools nearby, the city’s best bookstore, a film center, a writing center, a dance center, a photography center, the premier art bar, a couple of informal art spaces, and several small theaters.) But can it survive the condo onslaught? As I write this, Bertha’s stuck in her big tunnel, and the city seems especially torn up with construction projects. It’s all a slow and steady march toward something, but what, exactly?
Those are some of my “taking stock” questions. What are yours? Come and talk.
Category:
