DANK: Our New Home for 2015

After the success of the DANK Inaugural art show in July 2014, we, the members of DANK, wanted to find a space that could support our artistic explorations. Luckily we are a group of 10 members because some had trepidations about having an agenda, spending all our time on meetings, and generally “committing” to something.Our goal is to support each other in art making — I’m one of the people who needs a little push to get new art pieces out into the world because I can easily be consumed by jewelry production and other work demands. I’ve also been involved in art organizations where the emphasis ended up being more on organizational infrastructure rather than art making itself, and I just don’t want to put my energy there right now. I’m feeling creatively fertile and need to get that work out of me and into the world.Each member of the DANK collective has their own lives. We are all in different points of our art careers. At our roughly weekly gatherings, we come together to be social, share recent inspirations, or discuss any issues holding us back from what we really want to be putting out in the world. Our gatherings rarely include the entire group, and that’s actually what makes them special since they are generally intimate. It also keeps the group dynamic and builds momentum rather than slowing things down. Gatherings are more salon-style conversations rather than meetings.We each appreciate anything that another member is willing to do. We trust each other’s taste, and no one is a control freak. We’d rather see something get done than not get done. If someone can’t make a gathering because they are on a roll in the studio, they get flooded with supportive messages to keep doing the work!None of us are truly sure how the magic of our group happened, yet it gelled after a couple of years over coffee and various casual interactions out and about in the community. We each felt respected and inspired from the types of conversations we had, which is how we decided to have the DANK Inaugural in July 2014.Based on that momentum, members of our group have been flooded with requests from individuals and organizations. We each needed some recovery time — putting on a successful show is a lot of effort, not just in the art making. Each person expended behind-the-scenes energy that we needed to recoup.Unsure of where to go next, or what to do, we each just trusted in the journey. We relaxed, continued to make art, and continued to gather over coffee as time allowed. Then an interesting opportunity arose, much earlier than we felt ready for — isn’t that always the way!We have formed a partnership with the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City. Initially we hoped for a few months, but they wanted to offer us a larger opportunity that could build momentum and help us stick with our ideals (no pressing agendas), essentially presenting an opportunity that’s conducive to art making: an entire year-long residency. If the relationship is win-win, we will revisit terms later in 2015.Jeff Peline wrote a great article that covers the basics. At this point, we are gathering our resources, planning some painting days and building momentum for the fun ride ahead.Our first show is planned for mid-January to coincide with the Wild & Scenic Film Festival that happens in Nevada City. This year’s theme is “A Wild Life,” and our show will align with that and house several of the featured artists on the art tour that coincides with the festival.