This week has been a ‘noisy’ one with the buildup and aftermath of the first Presidential debate, not to mention the debate itself! My children, who are studying debate in their elementary debate club (virtually), were ready to watch as part of their homework. About three minutes into the debate, noting the absence of Aristotle’s methods of persuasion, exited the room and entertained themselves with a show on Disney +. For me personally, it has been hard to not feel the deep division that exists in the U.S. I feel it in so many ways, even though I’m on a very strict social media diet.
At the beginning of the pandemic, my children and I began watching some comedic movies with my children which helped add levity to the heavy days that were drenched in chilly spring rains. The Pink Panther became a favorite as did Steve Martin (who starred in the remakes) so we went through several of his movies including The Father of the Bride and The Father of the Bride 2. I hadn’t watched them in years and my kids begged to watch them again and again.
Last week, I read that Nancy Meyers had persuaded the entire cast to come together for The Father of the Bride 3 (ish), which she began writing a few months into lockdown. The cast filmed all virtually from their homes, which was a logistical feat unto itself. Writing the script became an antedtoe to the stress and worry and it “brought me back to being a writer,” she penned in a recent article in The New York Times.
What I found so striking is how the entire cast was up for the project and for the collective mission of donating all the proceeds to the World Central Kitchen. Meyers explains, “It all felt a bit like those old films where everyone in town helps put on a show, except these were movie stars, and I could not have been more grateful for their efforts.”
Reading about their camaraderie in the midst of the deep division in our country made me wonder. Yes there are chasms but why not seek out other great examples of camaraderie, especially in creativity? What kind of impact and power does this have? Since the very basis of this weekly e-mail (this week is #25!) is the notion that what you focus on expands, my team and I sought out creative endeavors that highlight camaraderie. Perhaps these examples will help ease the angst over divisions, if even slightly. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to launch a community-building project yourself. Perhaps you’ll begin to see more examples around you.
So let’s end this noisy, anxious week with an upbeat focus on how we can work together and how creative endeavors can add a little light to these dim and anxious days.
Have a creatively inspired weekend!
Suzanne
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- The cast of the Father of the Bride reunited for an update on the life of George Banks and the rest of the family in the cast’s production of “Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)”, a fundraiser for World Central Kitchen
- A group of 50 artists hope to promote voting through stamps designed to be a piece of artwork representing an issue the artist cares about
- These work teams have gotten innovative of maintaining a work culture virtually
- The Normal Rockwell Museum’s new virtual exhibit, “The Unity Project” features works by illustrators inspired by Rockwell’s art that celebrate voting.
- See how this high tech start-up collaboration came together to combat COVID19
- Read how this Toledo-based artist is creating a community chalk coloring book
- Minneapolis-based organizations Creative City Making and the Creative Response fund are sponsoring artistic projects aimed at community healing after the civic unrest following the murder of George Floyd.
Things to do Around the World
- The New York City Ballet’s season will be filmed outside and exclusively available through streaming, because, as the artistic director stated “We couldn’t go a whole year without creating new works… It’s simply not in our D.N.A.”
- The Irish Times offers the 10 Best shows to watch on Netflix this month.
- The Great British Bakeoff (COVID edition) is BACK airing on Netflix and here’s an intro to each contestant
- The V&A is hosting an online talk on the intersection of art, jewellery and innovation.
- You can take a virtual workshop in printmaking.
- The annual Bonnaroo and FarmAid festivals went virtual this year, allowing for fans worldwide to connect with artists and performances they likely wouldn’t have seen otherwise