Artist Conference Network

These are notes from a Beverly call after World Trade disaster for our NY A C N group to consider:

I spoke with Beverly yesterday, she has been thinking of us constantly and is sorry to not be more in touch; she’s pretty strung out about WTC herself.

I wanted to see if there was some way of working with ACN and/or Beverly on the issues I was facing as a New Yorker — were there things the process could do to help me deal with my issues — taking subways, losing a job and a building I loved, seeing the empty hole every day, etc., etc., going to funerals — so, Chris said to call and see what Beverly had to say.

She had lots to say:

1. We should throw out regular meeting and do a clearing space meeting, tonight, whenever – more below on how to
2. We should really, really try to make both the SHINDIG and Nov. 4 meeting in Philadelphia, she feels there are invaluable tools in both these events that are especially useful now and we would be “welcomed with open arms,” picked up, put up, whatever; she really pushed that we come, I told her some of us felt the desire to be closer to home now and she very much understood that but really pushed that we come out, not very far away and be with our other acners, she said we’d find a “family we never knew we had”
3. She would like to come and meet with us on Tuesday, Oct. 30, or the 31st if she has to, 30th best for her but would change if didn’t work for us, it would mean an extra meeting or a changed meeting, I vote for changed

About 1. A meeting for CLEARING THE SPACE
leave all completion stuff out
use one quote in the beginning and one at end, you’ll see a big difference
everyone tells their stories about wtc — no interruption, no interpretation, no judgement, a safe space
everyone tells who they are being — go as far as you can go, be outrageous
everyone takes a stand
this is to clear the space so we can move on
Beverly has done it a few times with groups and results have been great, everyone is feeling this tragedy, artists everywhere are wondering how to proceed in light of such a major event, Beverly sees need for art even more now, — “the world needs it!”

mpkane, storyteller, writer, photographer