The What's Good Project
art + exploration by Jennifer Drinkwater
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THOUGHTS

Thoughts about art and community.

Posts in tips
Pop Up! Lessons from a Rookie, Part I
Pop Up! Lessons from a Rookie, Part I

Earlier this spring, I was invited (thanks, Niq Thomas) to participate in Iowa Pop Art Market, an inaugural pop-up art event at the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids. Being a pop-up and festival first-timer, I jumped at the chance and then scrambled to get myself organized.

Part of that scrambling was trying to figure out what I didn’t know that I needed to know. With that in mind, I’m writing a couple of blogs (and later a toolkit) for those folks who need a Pop-Up Prologue, so to speak.

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artist insight, community, creativity, tips, toolkitJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
The What's Good Project: A Behind-the-Scenes Interview
The What's Good Project: A Behind-the-Scenes Interview

A few weeks back, Paige Kappelman, Story County Conservation’s Outreach Assistant, reached out to me (did her job like a boss) for an informal interview after she saw some of my paintings of McFarland Park on Instagram. Naturally, I said yes and we invited Kyle Renell to join the party. Kyle’s not only my good friend and a terrific Ames-based artist, but she also was the person I interviewed for The What’s Good Project here in Ames. In other words, Kyle’s the reason I painted McFarland Park.

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ABCD, artist insight, community, personal, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
For the Common Good: A Community Artist Interview with Reinaldo Correa
For the Common Good: A Community Artist Interview with Reinaldo Correa

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed and learned from this conversation with Iowa State University colleague and fellow artist, Reinaldo Correa. It was one of those conversations that inspired me for the rest of the week. So much insight and wisdom - this is an interview I encourage you to read over and over, and take some notes.

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artist insight, creativity, community, For the Common Good, tips, interviewJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
Deeds Done Dirt Cheap : Stories of Everyday Generosity
Deeds Done Dirt Cheap : Stories of Everyday Generosity

To an Iowan, or at least to the one I’m married to, “pretty good” means outstanding, fine is “terrific”, and “okay” means pretty dire straits. (Aaron’s worst descriptive is “peachy,” translation: I want to kill someone immediately.)

Fortunately, in the 13 years I’ve lived in the Midwest, I learned that generosity is not understated, not in action anyway. Although, to be fair, Midwesterners definitely have a “it’s no big deal” attitude right after they’ve done something truly kind or generous or thoughtful.


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ABCD, community, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
For the Common Good: A Community Arts Leader Interview with Amber Danielson
For the Common Good: A Community Arts Leader Interview with Amber Danielson

This year, I decided to expand For the Common Good to include interviews with Community Arts Leaders, many of whom are also artists (but not always), as well as serving in more formal nonprofit or civic leadership roles. These folks have often done the arduous (and often thankless) work of fundraising, navigating local red tape, and building diverse partnerships within their communities, all while supporting and advocating for their local artists.

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ABCD, community, creativity, artist insight, For the Common Good, disaster recovery, tips, interviewJennifer Drinkwaterblog Comments
What's Good in 2020: A Shout Out to Courageous Creativity
What's Good in 2020: A Shout Out to Courageous Creativity

This is little embarrassing to admit, but anytime I read, watch, or hear something that really resonates with me, I get an immediate and short-lived lump in my throat. In and out. Like my body’s way of saying “Yo, you need to pay attention to this.” The weirdo throat response has happened so often and for so long and in such unexpected ways that I’ve really learned to trust it. All that to say, each of these projects, organizations, and episodes elicited the two-second throat lump in 2020.

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ABCD, artist insight, civil rights, community, creativity, disaster recovery, For the Common Good, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
For the Common Good: A Community Artist Interview with Catherine Reinhart
For the Common Good: A Community Artist Interview with Catherine Reinhart

Today’s a very special day. Today is the day that my lovely friend and inspiring artist, Catherine Reinhart, is in the For the Common Good hot seat. Catherine and I have been friends and artist pals for years. We worked together at Iowa State University’s Design on Main Community Gallery while Catherine was the Artist-in-Residence and Gallery Director, and I taught a class for the gallery interns; she’s generously been a part of lots of weird community art projects I’ve instigated over the years (including this one), and best of all, she’s always up for talking shop about what artists can do with folks, and what art can do for folks.

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artist insight, creativity, community, For the Common Good, tips, interviewJennifer Drinkwaterblog Comments
Disaster Preparation Resources for Artists (to be filed under future toolkit ideas)
Disaster Preparation Resources for Artists (to be filed under future toolkit ideas)

Today is a brief checklist on how to prepare for a potential disaster situation. This is a very general overview aimed to touch on topics that young, emerging, and/or procrastinating artists may not have considered or gotten around to. Next week, we’ll dive into what to do when you find yourself in catastrophe.

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artist insight, community, disaster recovery, tips, toolkitJennifer Drinkwaterblog Comments