“Art From The Heart” Recap

George Del Barrio
September 13, 2009—10:11 PM

This past Thursday, the Foundation enjoyed the company of almost 300 artists, editors, curators, producers, collectors, artist representatives, appreciators, supporters, and smiling faces. As has been reported elsewhere, Matthew, Dwayne and I have been devoting the very best of ourselves to building out and installing a show worthy of the the fantastic art that was donated to us. Our objective, as always, was to present something unprecedented. This is what motivates us, this is what we do best, and this is what we’ll do for Cambodian Living Arts.

And, frankly, the response from everyone that came out has been just off the charts.

Putting on a successful event like this just doesn’t happen because three men bend their backs to it, though. So many noteworthy people and organizations were involved in making this a success and I have to take a second to shout them all out. Calumet Photographic very generously donated the space to us, all the folks at the shop were a delight to work with, and it all flows from the man at the top, John Dessereau. Brooklyn Lager provided the expected (fantastic beer), and I’m quite proud to say that none other than Benjamin Hudson himself made an appearance at the event. I’d imagine his social calendar is normally quite booked. [Heart Art Productions[(http://iheartartproductions.com/)—the dynamic duo of Audrie Lawrence and Celeste Holt-Walters - beautifully curated the show, graciously dealt with all the inevitable last-second complications, and came up with a design for the space that was truly innovative. Every time ROOT Capture or DriveIn Studios would send a truck through with equipment or supplies, the gear would arrive on time and perfect. This has as much to do with their collective professionalism as it does the overall excellence of our man on the inside, Kip McQueen. Volumes have been written elsewhere on the man’s qualities. All I’ll say in this space is what I’ve said of him for the past decade: I love him. I’ve made every attempt to thoughtfully thank all the contributing artists through every stage of the process, and I probably tossed out a fair share more at the opening. It can never be said enough times: without quality art, there is no quality show. We’re blessed, aware of it, and constantly working to be worthy of it. Contributing photographers: thank you, thank you. To the wonderful team of volunteers that made the event as seamless as it was: I bow deeply.

And then we have the ticketholders. That super-special class of folks that went to Kickstarter, pledged $75 (or more), and came out to support the Foundation. You wonderful, amazing group of people are the absolute heart and soul of us. I say this without exaggeration or hesitation. You will always be dear to us.

We’ve still got so much more to do in the little time that remains between now and when our fundraising window closes. And once we succeed, the climb only gets steeper. So much about the future is unknown. But, right now, we can take a moment and look through the photographs of the show (by Amanda Adams-Louis) and enjoy the radiated warmth and beauty of the night. We put our hearts out for you, and you, you filled them, truly.