I have big, exciting, and difficult news for you today.
And the end of June, I will be leaving Bleeding Heart Art Space and my position with St. Faith’s Anglican Church as Arts Chaplain. I will step back for at least a year. I may then have the time, capacity and desire to return, but those decisions are for another time and context.
Today, the heart of it is this; I’m tired and I may be in the way.
To survive and thrive, Bleeding Heart Art Space must be a team-led, community-driven, supporter-funded movement disconnected from any one person.
I have hope.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
In the category of ‘big news’, a move is about as big as it comes. After two and a half years at 9132 118th Ave, Bleeding Heart Art Space is moving.
July 4 will be our final day at our current address. We will finish out the run of the beautiful and touching HOME exhibit, part of The Works Festival. Then we will say goodbye.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
This weekend there are so many good things going on in our city. I’m one of the hosts of CBC RadioActive’s InCrowd, where it’s my job to say ‘here’s what you should check out in the arts scene this weekend’. That job gets a lot harder come summer.
For those of you interested in the power of art for social change, the choice is easy this weekend. Bleeding Heart is involved with not one, but THREE incredible events on Saturday (and beyond) that you won’t want to miss.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
This past week I had to make a tough decision. I had to cancel the visual arts track of our Small, Slow & Beautiful Retreat.
How does it feel to cancel and event you are passionate about? Not great. Disheartening. A little rain on the old parade, to be honest.
The good news is, we do have registrations for our poetry track. Still not a lot, but enough to move forward with Small, Slow & Beautiful. Tania Runyan is still joining us to lead her poetry workshop. We are still offering our retreat option. This is happening, it’s just that there’ll be more of an emphasis on the ‘small’ part of Small, Slow & Beautiful this year.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Last month I put a challenge out to myself and anyone who’d like to join along (it’s never too late!). I want to support local artists in a tangible way by spending more money on their work in 2017. Not huge pile of cash, but a deliberate, reachable amount of personal patronage.
My goal is to spend 20$ on local arts experiences and $17 on an arts products, every month this year.
20 and 17 in 2017. $37 every month for a total of $444 over the course of the year. If you do this, too, we can make a big difference in the local art scene.
Instead of going to a $15 movie, go to a $15 concert.
Instead of buying a $20 poster from IKEA, pick up a print from a local gallery like SNAP or VividPrint or even right here at Bleeding Heart Art Space.
So, how am I doing? I’m getting there.
Blog for Bleeding Heart!
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
“How did that fundraising campaign go?”
It’s a question I’ve been asked more than once in these early days of a new year. The question is encouraging, because it shows people are aware we have had a fundraising campaign, and because they care how we are doing. But the answer is complicated.
I want to say ‘Amazing! We hit our goal in record time!’, but that would be a lie. In fact, we didn’t hit our goal at all. So far, we’ve missed it by more than half.
This isn’t a bad news update. I’m very happy with where the Bleeding Heart stands today, and our prospects for a long, healthy future as a space for art, faith, hope and love on the Ave.
To understand why I’m happy, you have to understand the numbers I was looking at just over a month ago, as 2016 was coming to a close.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Starting this week, Bleeding Heart Art Space is open 6 more hours than we have been for the past year or so.
In addition to our Saturdays 11-3 hours, we are now open from 1-3 PM on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
It’s a small window, I (Dave) have committed to work from the space on these afternoons, so that people have some more opportunities to enjoy the great work we have on display.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Hopeful stories of healing and reconciliation are being written, right now.
Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are seeing one another, often, as if for the first time, for our strengths and our shared struggles. People are living out answers to questions that seemed impossible–impassible–a decade ago.
I want to hear more reconciliation stories. I think they will bring healing. Momentum. Change.
Maskihkîy Âcimowin / Medicine Stories will provide a context for reconciliation stories to be shared, around a great tree in the centre of a public space, over four weeks this spring.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
We've been promoting October 15 since Kaleido Festival and I know people are looking forward to that date. So why move the event? The simple answer is because we want to support Brandon Atkinson.
Brandon has landed a major public art commission out of the province and had to fly out for meetings this week. It was a last minute arrangement and the timing couldn't be changed. This is a landmark event in Brandon's career and it means he can no longer be with us for his closing or give an artist talk this Saturday.
I hope you can join us on the new date, October 22, to meet Brandon Atkinson and share some snacks and conversations. It will be worth the wait.
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You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
There are plenty of fresh ideas at the Bleeding Heart Art Space these days. Lots of vision. New faces looking through the windows and coming inside. New programs and proposals with several directions we could head.
All of this is exciting, but add it to the new ideas at Bleeding Heart and it can be overwhelming without some unifying purpose.
Thankfully, we have that purpose.
Blog for Bleeding Heart!
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
