Oct 5, 2020 As two seasons of social distance distancing give way to Fall, I want to say how totally wonderful it's been to see this vibrant Stone Soup Ripple community taking shape. The year 2020 has proven to me that, without a doubt, genuine connection and community is about intent and sharing.
Of course, being face-to-face is to be treasured, but it is definitely not an essential.. which is reassuring, given the times we're in.
In New York, last December and January, I convened two in-person salons in Gramercy Park to soft launch Stone Soup Ripple. One was at the National Arts Club and the other was at a spectacular residence at 121 E 22nd. Last month, in Atlanta another in-person gathering salon was held; a ripple salon hosted by the Bill Lowe Gallery, in one of Buckhead's most iconic estates. Along with invited guests, I experienced a truly outstanding installation of contemporary art, curated by The Bill Lowe Gallery, as I facilitated a conversation with Bill on the role of creativity, aesthetics and legacy in community building. As I write this, I see that the themes of each of these in-person ripple gatherings, in very special places, spaced 9 months apart, were centered on the impact of our ‘treasures’… in our personal lives and beyond. And yet, what’s most important is the people…
If you've been to any of the online screening salons, you’ll have experienced that first-hand on Zoom, from wherever you happened to be. If not, here’s a taste of what’s been cooking…
This Spring and Summer, we gathered online, usually on Tuesdays, where I offered the opportunity to connect and blend shared conversation with truly special screened content and their very talented content creators:
Adam Schomer
Gabriel Diamond
Candice Holdorf
Playdate Theatre’s Talia Light Rake, Mark Feuerstein and Samara Handelsman
Jeremy Seifert
In all, Stone Soup Ripple brought people together for 19 thought-provoking and uplifting screening salons. Zoom’s Gallery View was our bridge to connections and ripples that reached across states, countries and even to the other side of the world, to the streets of Pakistan and four sacred peaks in the Himalayas.
... All this to say thank-you to all of you who have added your ingredients into the soup and joined in with open minds and warm hearts. Each of you has added to each gathering and as you saw in comments in my September blog, the sense of Connection & Belonging was definitely present and is continuing to ripple.
Out of a total of 22 ripple salons, only three were in-person, and yet we connected with each other in ways we might not otherwise… through what we experienced together. Thank you to each of you and also, huge gratitude to my Featured Guests … as well as the very talented Erahm Christopher, my Featured Guest for the Fall Screening Salon Series, Listen, Learn… Speak which starts on November 10th.
’Til soon, I hope,
Christine
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