Hey Rob,
Is it just me, or has Scan skipped a few issues? The portraits are fascinating, even in their online vernissage formats. Lately, I've been rhyming in short sentences lately. It's just one of those games poets play.
Your issue of Scan finds me in sunny Los Angeles, where I'll be working on a business intelligence project for Sunkist oranges. It's intended to be a long term career position, but I'm rather enjoying bouncing around the country, traveling on my skills. I drove from Royal Oak, Michigan through Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Panhandle of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and finally, sunny Californ-yah. I've still digesting the journey, which lasted seven great days. If you ever have a hankering to go west, young man, you'll do well in Sante Fe or St. Louis.
Maybe you met Lulu Cameron during your art advocacy days in Detroit, Michigan. Lulu ran an antiques gallery in Royal Oak, and painted in her mornings, and is collected by Karmanos and Beaumont Hospital. She sold out all Michigan property, and bought an inexpensive levee town storefront in a town called St. Genevieve, one hour south of St. Louis. After the purchase, all of the properties on the main street were picked up by artists, retailers of jewelry and collections, sparking a real estate boomlet. On the day I spent there, I toured the wine bars with Lulu, sampling Mississippi Valley vintages, and visited with a drawing room watercolor class, women who were determined to capture the hues of sunrise in colorful washes. It's a great case study of how an art economy links into a tourism and agricultural economies, and produces wealth and downtown renewal. It helps that St. Gen is one of the oldest towns in the country, not far from the Cahokia mounds. This area was a vital population center when the Aztecs and the Mayans reached the pinnacles of their cultural development. All the rivers of the midwest meet the Mississippi somewhere close to St. Louis. It is also close to where Chief Pontiac met his demise, brought down by an assassin. You'll think you're in New Orleans because of all the wrought iron on the homes, many mansard roofed.
Sante Fe speaks for itself. It's a well developed example of a town with a strong art economy. In the plaza, another 3 - 4 century old gathering place, artisans from the numerous tribes displaced by the trail of tears display jewelry and fine arts upon spread out blankets. If Hamtramck has the record for the most bars per capita, Sante Fe might hold the record for the most art galleries per capita.
A little while ago, I sent you some information about Bluebeard the Pirate, and the concerted efforts on the Charleston coast to reclaim his history and artifacts. Were these helpful to you? The real question is this: how does one take the history of an area, and put it into a package where fine artists can begin to paint and create around the local lore and myth? In other words, how can this become a workable project for you and your compatriots?
Wishing you and your family the best, Will
--
William Juntunen
989-906-3324
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