Reflections on Pomegranate Center’s 22nd Birthday
A Message from Milenko
Pomegranate Center was born out of the intuition that artistic practice is not only relevant, but necessary for creating a healthier world. The elements of this practice are complex and every artist will explain them differently. I think it’s a safe bet, however, that most agree there is a time of “taking things in” before “putting things out”, which ensures that the art-making is relevant.
What do I mean by “taking things in”? I don’t mean passive waiting, but rather engaged and active listening. It’s the time when connections are intuited, relationships appreciated, and meanings detected. It requires a determination not to surrender to what others have deemed important, but instead to arrive at our own hard earned conclusions. In my opinion, the well-being of the world relies on this internal commitment.
“Putting things out” demands similar moxie. An artist assumes that a painting must be an improvement on the empty canvass, a poem an improvement on the empty page, and music an improvement on silence. This is, of course, the high standard for all the work that goes on in the studios of artists the world-over.
My point, my intuition, is that this same principle should also be practiced outside the studios. This is what I intended by incorporating Pomegranate Center 22 years ago. When working with communities, the quiet contemplation that is possible in the studio is replaced by a cacophony of voices, and the studio by a gathering place of many different people and ideas.
The process, though very different in shape, follows the same progression undertaken by a solitary artist. For me it starts with listening, discerning patterns and common themes, identifying possibilities, selecting the most promising ones, and then finding elegant and powerful forms to express the community’s intent.
To participate in such a process is a great privilege, and with that privilege comes a responsibility to uncover what is the best possible pathway for success through joint discovery rather than coercion. This is done by committing to honest inquiry, consulting multiple perspectives, absorbing new information and uncovering the best possible strategy that deserves our best efforts and artistry in its execution.
I’ve been fortunate to lead more of such community projects than I can count and I am continually amazed by what can be accomplished. I have come to view every community member as an artist practicing this model. And it is a beautiful, powerful thing to see.