This week nearly killed me. Some vitriolic and threatening messages from disgruntled artists and bureaucrats came our way. In the face of such hostility, I’ve had to ask myself, the cell staff, and anyone else who will listen, “What have I done to make people so angry?” The mission of the cell is to incubate and present new works of art. We attract a wide range of struggling artists who want and need but seldom receive free space in which to work/perform/display their creations.
As an artist run arts organization, we offer our experience and guidance, technical equipment and support, and an extensive promotional network. In return, we ask participating artists to publicly recognize us as "incubators" so that others will know what we do.
In the space of a week, we’ve been threatened with a lawsuit by a musical duo, denied our request for public acknowledgement by a writer, and confronted by the Dramatists Guild. We gave our all to promote these folks but they treated us like criminals! I simply don’t understand. Is asking for recognition immoral or a violation of the constitution (as the Guild would have us believe)?
Our labor of love has grown beyond our wildest dreams…but this dream is turning into a nightmare…In addition, our neighbors now want to shut us down! We are doing everything possible to create peace and harmony, but still, we are being treated as if we are hooligans. Ignoring our request for a meeting, one irate neighbor, in an effort to silence us, hosed our performers! What??? I would never want to inspire that kind of animosity… so it is with deep regret we will be limiting, if not discontinuing, our programming.
I am doing my best, but I guess sometimes one’s best just won’t cut it.