Get By with a Lotta Help from my Friends

The One Night Show was a collective gift from a lot of people, so I thought I'd introduce you to some of the people who gave it. This summer, Steve and I decided that we would have an art show at ClearPoint with my pieces. Of course, we agreed on all the details.
Jamie came over a week before the event to help me hang all the canvases, which included some major leaning on ladders to get "The Story" up.
When the weekend finally came, on Friday MaryAnne and her daughter Emerald, and her daughter Zahara, came over to help us get the place nice and clean. I got to have Zahara's company while painting the finishing bits on some of the pieces. She's so snuggly!
Sarah came on Friday too (down from Massachusetts) and made at least 10 huge batches of miniature vegan chocolate chip cookies.
On Saturday afternoon Doug, Kasey, Aja, and Trinity arrived. Doug is a professional sound man and brought the soundtrack he'd created for the show, along with speakers and some other equipment. Here he is setting up.
Kasey came in tow with pounds upon pounds of LaraBars, mung bean sprouts, and fortune cookies for guests. Aja is a professional chef, and I think this is the last captured moment in which she is not throwing down in the kitchen. Hu-YAH!
Sam is a sculptor and an art teacher in New Jersey, and he brought his mandala teaching kit with pictures of mandalas from all over the world, and set it up so that our guests could make their own. He and Heather made signs to help guide the night. Heather acted as my agent for the night when it came to handling sales.
My Mom, Karen, measured and cut the 60+ blindfolds that were used for the experience.
Jon came on his birthday weekend! He and Karsten cooked up a storm with Aja to get all the hors d' ouvres ready to serve.
Trinity got the community painting started...
...which after the show now looks like this!:
Roger filmed the entire show! He is also a great source of encouragement and inspiration to me. John came with his incredible collection of Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, and flutes that you can see in the corner of this picture. John played these ancient instruments as a gift to everyone that came.
And while I danced around talking about my paintings my friends smiled at me so nice!
Together we all had a time. Together. That was really good, the together part.
And afterward as things wound down into the night we sat with each other.
And by noon the next morning, we were all up and cooking! (Karsten and Jon, cooking again! And here is my dear friend Carin who drove up from New York to be with us)
well, we were all up, I mean!
And shared a brunch together! Complete with some lemon olive cake birthday cake. Pictured here is Oliver in hat and Sara in the scarf, who read her fantastic poetry during the show. And of course, Steve, who held a magnificent space for the whole she-bang.
I just can't say it enough...
We are all so precious to each other.

More gifts: Angelina M. Hart is the smarts behind the organizing and marketing, and I'll have a picture of her up soon. Roger C Ingraham took a good deal of these photographs, and is a tireless supporter of community and the arts. Jason Gannon brought his lights (inner and outer!) to create an other-worldly environment.