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| Vincent van Gogh, The Caravans/Wikimedia |
Early this morning as rosy-fingered Dawn opened the Gates of Heaven, saffron-robed Arts Dispatch opened a brand new wing -- the Portland Office of Cultural Repair. While we await the large contracts that must inevitably come our way given the general state of disrepair of all things cultural, we decided to make a modest proposal, just to give some indication of the services we might provide.
We propose that our culture-shed establish a network of Mobile Cultural Repair Units that we will deploy to flare-ups in the region -- restive populations in our parks, stressful street fairs, cul-de-sacs where we have detected dangerous Levels of Ennui. We call these units, Art Carts. (In Portland, the food cart phenomena is well-developed, and we've just extended it to our purposes.)
The idea, which arose in the comment thread of our Art and Elitism post, began as something more specific: an Emergency Mozart Service (EMS). The EMS vehicle would arrive at a hot spot, deploy its all-weather acoustic shell, suggest an amphitheater space with a set of colorful panels and pass out mats for seating if the ground is hard. Then the musicians would begin to play. Mozart in the mall. Mozart before school. Mozart on overpasses playing for motorists stalled on freeways below. Mozart, in short, where Mozart is needed most.
We still think this is a good idea, but we have expanded it. Now, we are thinking of our Art Carts more like TriMet and less like the Fire Department. The repair units won't be for emergencies only. They will provide a continuous repair service throughout the area. And no art is good for all seasons. Not even Mozart. We want to offer a clinic full of remedies. So, the Art Cart arrives at an elementary school and its complement of artists might include a storyteller, a puppet theater, a poet working with a beat-boxer and a cellist working with a dancer. A tent is erected, a crowd summoned by the storyteller and the beat-boxer and the show begins. It's not all about performance, though. We believe that Art Carts can also be centers for participation, traveling workshops and instruction zone for art, music, theater, dance, writing.
