HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY FRANK!

January 5, 2005 the Frank Agency website was launched, and a new life was born. 13 years of arts administration….concert production, publicity, grant writing, development, booking, management, strategic planning, promotion, marketing, box office, outreach, communication, communication, communication….and 8 years ago I embarked on an idea… What if instead of every individual working to develop their single network of resources, we banned together – pooled our information, collectively worked towards trying to strengthen our efforts and possibilities, and supported each other to build something bigger than any one of us could create on our own – simultaneously challenging each other to step up to the fullest manifestation of ourselves…. …..I started trying to create a hub of institutional, organizational, structural, communal, activated knowledge revolving around the notion that every artist has a valuable voice and contribution, and somewhere out there, there’s an experiencer (audience) who wants/needs to hear exactly what they have to say, and presenters who want to create a plane for that exchange to occur….and these things should be more connected – more accessible – deeply working together to explore the cavernous aspects of our humanity. A lot has happened in 8 years – twists, turns, ups, downs – there are things that could have been done so much better, there are things that were absolutely astounding. But the truth in the work has remained the same- at it’s root the theory that “an emphasis on creativity in a culture gives rise to creative solutions to social problems” I am still as scared as I was 8 years ago – scared that I have no idea what I’m doing, terrified that I’ll not help at all, fearful that it’s just not possible to elevate something so fleeting & intangible in a world of greedy commodity driven idolatry. But, I’m also more confident and more sure than ever that my theory is correct – and that no one knows what they are doing, and that we’ve already helped, and that it has to be possible to elevate the fleeting & intangible because it is the very essence of our existence. and that our makers, and culture creators, can take us in to aspects of our being we do not understand, cannot control, do not see, but have to deal with, and are driven by….they help us dance with, and sing with, celebrate and release the full complexity of human experience….art is the discipline of being…. I am so grateful to every one of you who has participated in this idea – every artist, every experiencer, every space, place, presenter, and partner – it has been an incredible journey, and I believe so much more is possible. In another 8 years I’ll be looking at my 40th birthday – and little Frankie will be able to drive. It’s time to build…. Thank you for 8 AMAZING years