Recently in Projects Category

Twinkling lights hung from the half disassembled drop ceiling in the kindergarten room as crowds gathered this past Friday and Saturday evening to enjoy Huss Stories: A Play. Christina, a *cino intern and theatre major at Calvin College, spent her summer interviewing, transcribing and organizing for the reader's theatre-style production, which explored stories from the school's history as well as ideas about its future as a community center and off-campus program.

Between the two evenings, about 50 people showed up to be part of the audience and stuck around afterwards for tours, conversation and refreshments. Audience reactions were encouraging, from those who saw their own story in the story of Huss and its rural community, to those who fell in love with Three Rivers, flaws and all, as a result of the production's compelling stories.

Ever since *cino purchased the historic Huss School in 2009, we've talked about wanting to put some kind of public production together based on the many, many stories of the school that people were sharing with us. So in some sense, the culmination of Christina's work this summer and Liz and Jared's work last summer was a dream come true! Even though the play is a workshop production that will continue to evolve, it contributes to the school's growing identity as a place of storytelling, creativity, memory and theatre. Thank you to Christina and all of the actors, interviewers, transcribers, bakers and other contributors who put their time and effort into this event! We look forward to continuing to collect and steward the rich stories associated with this beautiful building.

Local news coverage

• Bruce Snook's story about Christina's project
• Front page photo by Elena Hines for the Three Rivers Commercial News
• A between-production plug from River Country Journal

Christina Binder, one of our summer 2011 interns, is working on an oral history play that will gather and tell some of the stories of the historic Huss School. Local journalist Bruce Snook recently published a great story and interview about her project in the River Country Journal.

Christina is a theatre student at Calvin College who's been influenced and encouraged by her professor Stephanie Sandberg's ethnographic play projects. You can read more about Christina's story and experiences on the intern blog. We're looking forward to seeing the fruits of her theatrical labor at the end of the summer!

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #31: Because today's the last day!

Dear friends of *cino,

December has been a busy month for us as we've focused on getting people to vote for our application for a $50,000 through the Refresh Everything project. Even though we didn't get in the top 10 to receive a grant, we are still very encouraged and hopeful!

We are encouraged that so many people -- both local and around the world, from old friends to people we've never met -- were willing to show support for the future projects at Huss School by voting each day (and sometimes more than once a day).

We are encouraged that, even though we're a tiny organization in a very small town, we finished as high as we did in a group of nearly 400 other projects!

We are hopeful that, even without a magical influx of $50,000, we will find ways to work together and resurrect the Huss School building as a thriving hub of service and imagination for college students and the local community.

A wise friend has told us that there's no such thing as failure when we dream such big, ridiculous dreams -- just changes of direction and opportunities for creativity. In that spirit, watch for news of other opportunities to get involved and support the project that are in the works for 2011, including a chili cook-off and and online art auction.

Another wise friend has said he's learned that believing in God's providence means trusting that we already have just what we need. We are grateful that our list of gifts includes you! Thank you for the many ways you've contributed to the work of *culture is not optional, on location in Three Rivers and around the world!

Peace,
Rob & Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma

To make a financial gift before (or after!) the year turns to 2011, click here. Or go here to send us an update or word of encouragement.

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #30: *culture is not optional has made good progress in the renovation work at Huss and building credibility in the community, but needs your help to continue moving forward.

At this point in the voting cycle, we're well aware that $50,000 from Pepsi is not in the cards for *cino at this time, but we're not discouraged! So many people have "showed up" to vote and we're proud that we've finished as well as we have. Since we purchased the building in June 2009, we've been working hard on a shoestring budget and a lot of prayers, and we'll continue to do so. The community garden will re-plant in the spring with renewed energy and new ideas. Service groups will continue to chip away at demolition and renovation as resources are available. The property at Broadway and 8th will continue to develop as a gathering space for neighborhood kids. And we'll continue to network with neighbors and other local organizations to see how our space can be of service. But we need YOU to keep moving forward. Please cast your vote today, but also consider making a financial gift or sending us a word of encouragement. Thank you for your faithful support of *cino's work!

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #29: A small, professional quality venue can put Three Rivers on the map for national touring artists seeking grassroots house shows, with mutual benefits to the artist and the city.

As the music industry has been changing significantly over the past decade, some artists have been adapting by forming more personal relationships with their listeners. They're doing house shows or raising money to record through donations and pre-sales. In return for our response as listeners, they give us the gift of good art. We make it possible for them to do what they were created to do and they, in turn, change us with beauty.

Every once in a while, I get an e-mail from amazing musicians we know who are looking for spaces to put on small shows and every time, I wish we already had a place to accommodate them. I picture the film by the Icelandic band Sigur Ros, who took a break from world tours to embrace their own small country, playing wherever they could find space to rural, intergenerational audiences. It's easy to go after the major markets, but for artists and audiences who are longing for something more than just a commercial transaction, smaller is better and local has more heart. We hope that Huss School can provide a space for some of these kinds of interactions to take place, with a mutual benefit to the artist and to our small city.

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #28: Collaborating on artistic events can cultivate skills to improve academic achievement, teaching Three Rivers youth about commitment, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving and conflict resolution.

Consider this scenario: a 16-year-old boy goes to school every day, but only because it's better than being at home. Pre-occupied with his family issues and jittery from too much soda and not enough calories at home, he can't focus on his classes and his grades show it. Music is the only thing that gives him a sense of escape and he starts a band with his friends, mostly performing for the array of tools in someone's garage. But after playing a song at the school talent show, the get booked by one of their classmates to play at the old Huss School. Intrigued by what's happening with the venue at the school, he starts showing up for weekly after-school planning meetings. As he gets to know the adult mentors who run the program, he begins to talk about how he's not sure he'll pass the year. He's encouraged to start showing up for the after-school tutoring sessions that happen in the same building and matched up with a mentor who keeps up with his progress, including making sure he's eating properly. By June, he's brought his grades up to a passing level and, with the skills he's learned by helping out with the music venue, his band goes on a mini-tour of ten Michigan towns. He even earns some studio time at the school by working shows and the band is able to sell 50 copies of their debut EP on the tour.

Sure, this is just a made-up story, but we don't think it's too far-fetched. Do you?

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #27: Compared to urban areas, rural areas are often underserved in the areas of the arts and community gathering spaces.

One of our favorite stories lately has been that of a restaurant in a Maine tourist town that, when everything else in town shuts down for the winter, stays open on Fridays for soup lunches and live music. Locals make their way through the snow to share conversation and good food and for many, Friday becomes a bright spot in a long and lonely season. Customers can even take soup to-go for those who can't make it out of their homes. And the best part? It's all pay-what-you-can.

Like the folks who started this restaurant, we recognize that there's often a lack of third places (except bars) in rural areas, particularly late at night and in the winter. We hope the school can provide a place where there are intergenerational arts activities taking place at many times of day year-round, with special attention paid to filling the gaps. We also hope the school can be a place where our wonderful local established artists and organizations can collaborate to bring arts opportunities to the school's walkable, diverse neighborhood. Whether we're welcoming a senior citizen at risk for depression in the winter or a middle school kid who's dangerously bored in the summer, we hope the school can become a place that defies rural stereotypes and statistics.

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #26: Three Rivers churches can collaborate to serve beyond the walls of their buildings through artistic expression.

We'll just say it: churches should not exist only for the benefit of those within their four walls. Sure, those are the folks who pay the bills to keep the lights on and a preacher in the pulpit, but the church is called to so much more than just maintaining an in-the-black institution with a nice building.

Imagine what might happen if a church decided to go where the needs are and serve, not out of an ulterior motive to put butts in their upholstered seats, but out of a genuine desire to be the love of Christ to others. What if the hand bells came out of their air-conditioned closet and became one of the activities that engaged middle-schoolers during the summer. Or what if the puppet stage the Sunday school program uses once a week started making an appearance on Saturday afternoons at the community garden to teach pre-schoolers and their parents about good nutrition. What if, in addition to learning about the philosophical connections between faith and popular music, a high school youth group learned the hands-on skills needed to produce a concert. Maybe you know a place where this is happening already. In fact, we hope you do! And may Huss School provide just one more venue for such missional, creative activity.

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #25: Because it's Christmas!

We realize that many people won't even turn on their computers today and that's perfectly okay! We completely support unplugging on a holiday. But for those of you who are tuning in for today's reason and vote-vote-voting, we didn't want to let you down.

So what does Christmas have to do with voting for *cino to win $50,000 to renovate Huss School? Well, today is the day that Christians celebrate the incarnation of God as a newborn baby in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. You might say that *culture is not optional represents just one expression of taking this incarnation seriously. In the birth of Christ, the spirit of God came into our world as a flesh-and-blood human being. We believe the incarnation is a challenge to followers of Christ--a challenge to put our deepest values into practice, to embody the spirit of God in our neighborhoods, to put our love into action.

Huss School represents a unique opportunity to put love into action in a specific time and place. We've been writing and teaching for some time about faith in a God of peace and justice as something that should shape our everyday activities and the school will provide a space to model what such an embodied faith might look like--not just for the benefit of Christians, but for the welfare of our whole city. Like the angels 2,000 years ago, we hope to proclaim the good news of God's love for all people, whether through the abundance of tomatoes from the garden or the delight of good music or the fun of a game of kickball. It's everyday incarnation!

*cino needs YOU to vote each day in December to help us win a $50,000 grant to renovate the old kindergarten room at Huss School! Why vote? Read on...

Reason #24: An all-ages arts venue will provide space of radical inclusion, open to any and every member of our community.

One of the things we've noticed since we opened a fair trade store in downtown Three Rivers is that there are a lot of people in our town who just need a place to sit down. With limitations caused by mental illness or addiction (usually past), "the walkers," as we call them, walk the city every day. They have no money to spend, but like anyone, they need a kind word, a cup of coffee, a place to warm up or find shelter from the rain.

If you look around, the walkers aren't the only one looking for a place to belong. There are kids who have a hard time fitting in at school or at home. There are adults who are looking for meaningful places to serve the community and find companionship. There are senior citizens who have a lot to give, but can't make it very far from home on their own. Our hope is that the school can be a place where all people, regardless of their limitations or quirks, can discover a place where they are greeted and appreciated for who they are as beloved children of God. We don't harbor any utopian illusions about everybody "just getting along"--we know such radical inclusion will be difficult. But we believe that conflict is a worthwhile risk on the path to creating a community of embrace beyond just the usual suspects.