SPACE IS THE PLACE
Greater Boston needs an all-ages community space in order for the region’s creative possibilities to be fulfilled. We need a venue that is safe, sustainable and does not stymie innovation. The Boston Hassle brings 15 years of arts programing experience and we are determined to actualize that space. Help us make it real! Donate!
The Long Story
Throughout our organization’s existence, it’s been a goal of ours to open our very own all-ages performance space. It’s an idealistic objective, one borne of a series of observations about the state of national and hyper-local forces, tangled in dynamic interaction. As we ask our community for time, attention and donations to fulfill this goal, we realize that these aren’t commodities that are easily parted with, nor should they be.
As we’ve seen, art and culture are no longer priorities to high-level policymakers charged with allocating resources in service of a wider public. Even within the frame of the most optimistic mindset, opportunities for Federal funding are on shaky ground. Such times of upheaval ultimately have us turning inwards, to warm and familiar people, neighborhoods we call home. With uncertainty at the national level, it’s becoming particularly imperative to maintain a degree of continuity and stability at the local level. A physical space located in Greater Boston helps ensure this continuity, a fulcrum for cultural development that exists IRL.
For all social media and the internet have done to fill in our intangible networks, bridge geographic distance and democratize and showcase new work, we’re all painfully aware that it’s not enough to like a band page on Facebook and move on with our day. For better or for worse, we’ve not yet adapted to feeling our most profound through our computers. We hope that our efforts as an organization to date have drawn even the most reluctant self-proclaimed weirdos out of their homes, away from their screens and into the world even for a few fleeting hours. To increase the magnitude of this particular impact and the interactive effects that follow, a space is wholly necessary.
Where is this money going?
We are in the process of securing the location of this new community space. Funds raised in this effort are the necessary sum for the deposit and several months rent required to sign a lease. Once open, the BRAIN Arts org, our parent 501(c)(3), has a longterm plan for financial stability (contact us if you want to read it!) to ensure a permanent home for emerging and boundary pushing art of all kinds.
Some of the areas we’ve recently been to looking at potential spaces…
What are you waiting for? Help us Open a space!
