Free
And other beautiful things
Yesterday was liberating.
It marked the first of my two free MassQing Workshops at the Shaw-Roxbury Branch Library in Nubian Square.
Folks came from across the city (over 5 zip codes) to share, engage, and transform. And though the MassQs and experiences created were priceless, none of those attendees had to pay a dime.
Because these MassQ workshops are free and open to the public.
But of course, when I say “free” that’s not entirely accurate.
In a society such as ours where almost everything has a price (that seems to keep going up), few things are truly “free”. Someone had to pay for the workshop materials, the labor to create and run the workshop, the space/venue where it was to be held, and the marketing and promotion of the event itself so folks would even know to come. None of these things were free.
So how then can a scrappy little artist like me afford to give “free” workshops?
One word: Partnership.
I alone cannot, but by partnering with other people, organizations and initiatives who share my desire to make art more accessible, we collectively can.
I want to give a huge shout out the Fellowes Athenaeum Trust Fund Program Series for offering grants to organizations and artists such as myself so that we can provide free programming for the community at the Shaw-Roxbury Library.
Their grant covers all the hidden costs for this “free” workshop so my participants don’t have to.
Without that support these workshops would not be possible.
I also want to shout out Deandra Williams, Allen Knight and the rest of the staff at the Shaw-Roxbury Branch Library, as well as the late great Candelaria Silva-Collins for their work managing the program series, in addition to the countless other ways they contribute to the lifeblood of our city.
Libraries are one of the most important institutions for a healthy society. And the Shaw-Roxbury Branch is a beautiful example of that. Where else can you take a yoga class, a Hip-Hop dance workshop, a comic book creation course, catch classical and jazz concerts, learn to sew, cook, read, drum, all while gaining access to thousands of books for free?
And that’s only a fraction of what they have to offer.
In this economy we can all understand the importance of free offerings. But it’s just as important to recognize and honor the generosity and hard work behind making those offerings possible. So thanks again to The F.A.T.F. Program, the staff at the Shaw-Roxbury Branch of the BPL, the paid subscribers of this newsletter, and all the attendees who came out to make yesterday’s workshop the beautiful moment it was.
If you would like to experience MassQing (free of charge) click the link below to sign up for our next workshop, May 30th from 1-3pm!
∞
Till then, be art.
-Daniel