As an eMerge member/blogger I have to concede that I’m slightly biased– nevertheless, I thought this past weekend’s art rally was a huge success. With belly dancers and unicycling children providing a stimulating intro (how could we go wrong?), speakers Russ Crumley, Virginia Hoffman, Tim Raines, Matt Orr, Eric Massey, and Larry Thompson exercised their oratory prowess in front of over a hundred enthusiastic onlookers. Delivering their speeches from the height of a soapbox, they addressed the current status of Sarasota artists and creatives, what we as a community need to do to support them, and (my personal favorite, though I’m sure it will make others grumble) how popular obsessions like baseball should come down a notch on our priority list in favor of the arts. Standing with the rest of the throng, holding a hand-made sign and blowing periodically on my noise-maker, I was thrilled to be part of a group that champions a truly critical segment of society. Itself still emerging as a collaborative community effort, it looks as if eMerge is off to a great start.

PS– go out and use your creative currency! And for those who missed the rally, pictures will be up soon…