National Sawdust’s New Year send off

It has been one year since I was appointed creative director of National Sawdust, (which incidentally always gets autocorrected to “On my way!” each time I write it!), and so many great moments have transpired.

There was the In Situ filming of Theo Bleckmann blessing our space with a hymn he wrote….and the fun moment of getting to tag for the first time during SKYFUL, as Peter Zuspan (one of the spaces lead architect) and I decided to permanently put the artists names participating on our walls…and finally, watching kites dot the star filled night during SKYFUL’s final number, surrounded by my favorite artists and musicians and people from our community.

The empty shell of the space has resounded with music and art making since day one, filling the space with memories, and announcing slowly to the neighborhood, the world, our existence.

The dreams for the completion of the space are bubbling, waiting to surface, and I truly believe the significance and desire and place for National Sawdust has been laid by artists and audiences alike.

Kevin represents one of new music’s staunch supporters. Having a donor like Kevin, who loves all kinds of music and art but lives and breathes new music, is rare and is a symbol of our time and of the prominence new music is playing in our society. National Sawdust speaks to celebrating all art, encouraging and mentoring youth, and capturing and connecting through expression.

And speaking of time, we are in a moment where belief is incredibly important. In the fragility of everyday life, one recognizes how tenuously life and dreams and existence are entwined.

In times like these, the place for art may feel sidelined. But in fact, it is in times of grief that we need the arts the most. In a memory abstractly captured by a voice or in a communal moment of awareness, music has the power to lift us all and to replenish our collective spirit.

I send off with a simple thank you. To my fellow artists, community at large and for the place we find ourselves in. One where voices can still ask “why” and can still be heard.

Yours,

Paola