(And I don’t mean Europe.)

Anyone who knows me knows I pride myself on being part artist, part sociologist. I am a firm believer in the idea that the arts can revolutionize the social fabric of an area. After a trip to back home to Cleveland, I am more motivated about idea this than ever.

A mentor of mine in college dissuaded me from going to New York because, as he put it, “No one in New York wants art. They’ve got plenty of it. Go to somewhere that needs it, that wants it, that will appreciate it.” The difficult part is actually living there. Artists need input for their output, and without enough artist in the environment  to complete the input-output  cycle, life (and work) will suffer. My old plan used to be to go to Belgium to create great art, but Cleveland is the new Belgium.

My family and I walked around the downtown area this past Saturday. A once thriving metropolis, Cleveland is a beautiful ghost town of statues, parks, large spaces, and former splendor. It rose to prominence on the backs of the steel, rubber, and auto industries at a time when suburbs were all the rage. Now, in a post-industrial world, Cleveland is filled with aging, cultured, wealthy people in suburbs who once supported the arts–the world’s greatest orchestra, finest hospital, one of the most important art museums–and no one is making art there any more. Sports teams are city’s saviors.

From this point on, I believe that art.party should begin looking outside of New York after a project is conceived. I know that CAM might feel the same way about Virginia, JSK might feel the same way about Worchester, and the list goes on. We’re making exciting, inspirational things and there are more resources, more audiences, more opportunities in cities that really need us. (Also, funding.)

I still love New York, but I’m no longer turning my back on everywhere else.

Lots of love,

JB