Art Center?

Sometimes it is hard to shake a dream. A dream as in a nightmare type thing or a goal-type dream. A few years ago I started having dreams about a little girl with reddish hair and blue eyes. Even though I had been sure that I only wanted to have one child - who was 8 at that time - and even though my family thought I was insane, and my friends thought I'd not been "careful" - I knew this little girl was meant to be part of my family. Today, she's 1 year and 2 months old. And she has reddish hair and blue eyes.

I have another dream - of being part of a local Art Center. A place with studios - big ones! And lots of creative, fun people, and sunshine. Everywhere I've lived, I've tried to get into a place like that. In my little town, there is no place like that. But all of a sudden, there's a huge barn-like warehouse available up the mountain from town. And now I can't stop the visions! I dream about huge studios, a black-box type theatre, a dance studio, workrooms for art classes... and down the center of the space, an ArtWalk. Our town is so cold and windy in the winter (all 6!) that you can't really go outside with your kids. I imagine a space between the studios with skylights for sunshine and street lamps for evening light, park benches and sculptures to climb on. A little cafe near the playground and murals all the way down the walkway. Parents and babysitters could bring kids and strollers and get culture and get rid of cabin fever. Joggers could run safely too.

I've been trying to network and get advice and encouragement... but even though many people like the idea and would like to have a studio... no one really wants to have to build and organize such a thing. The last person I talked to (whose hobby it is to rejuvenate old buildings for new businesses) told me it wouldn't be worth the money it would take to fix it up - and I didn't want to become an administrator. That's true, I suppose. I don't want the headaches and the paperwork - I just want to be a part of the studio-life!

Who knows what will happen. I called another person for advice and she asked me to be on a Board for the rejuvenation of a local school into a community center. Close... but still not a studio. Maybe what I really need is better organization, a really good babysitter and momentum to just MAKE stuff. Stop thinking about art and ideas and time to start DOING them!!!