Art events can have community policy implications

Some of the folks known as the usual suspects in the downtown policing policy debates, including MPD, the Promoters, venue owners, but also the artists and musicians, poets, of our downtown area and Stanislaus County in general, do a lot of community events, for charitable causes, on a volunteer basis, as consultants, and nonprofits, serve a lot of causes, people in need, of all sorts, some on tight nearly non-existent budgets, some with sponsors or big donors as backers, some are big budget programs, and not as well known to the general public, beyond we sort of expect churches, civic organizations and groups, nonprofits to do this sort of stuff. Who are these people?

Well, most all could use more volunteers, and in fact in mental health, if in Recovery, you are encouraged to do so, helps you out, you help others, can be used as resume or job reference, but, often enough, people worry about quality of volunteers, or where, for what, etc.....

My primary income is from real estate rents, one small property, and art. I do a lot of volunteer work, often in posters, or happen to have the background or interest in projects, and special events is my other line of work as Mercenary graphics. It keeps one busy, at work I enjoy, such I do get paying gig leads from some of this, but also affects the community in ways I like to see it go, more positive directions.

Here is a bit of my sort of email follow up when we work on primarily volunteer basis, for one of my causes I assist with, as only one volunteer in the mix, but the one who blogs here, or is on these committees that include at times local government officials, sometimes on State or National level, staff of the nonprofits, or government agencies, such as BHRS, or Mental Health as it was once known, where we recently did the Art Walk and Music Festival, where my sometime boss at JB Presents is employed in his primary occupation, as an Advocate in Mental Health Recovery. JB asked me to volunteer to get some artists together, a project we were already working on professionally, and because we love art.

We're not the only ones, Off the Air, Chris Ricci, Eric Benson, we all get the call, as also most of your favorite local bands, whether nominated for a MAMA or not, and usually not so well publicized, as it really is the event, the cause, the outcomes you're working on, that count, but people do find out, then work to get you involved again because you can help, or are willing to, so this isn't for personal notice, this cause in Recovery is personal, also is real important to me, and for Modesto, it affects stuff related to people I know, may be homeless, out of rehab, going in, maybe should go, or want to help others, who may be homeless, suicidal, disabled, or just want to help folks.

So forgive some of the personal references, but this is out to ID myself as someone with some experience on these committees, familiar with issues, why I would know this, etc, as this correspondence is a report I'm sharing as gregwithwords, noted the downtown policing policy work group agendas and minutes would be helpful, and In ashton's blog as a follow up to Greg's comment, I agreed that would help, made some suggestions who you other readers, if you have ideas, or observations that might help Modesto as a whole deal with this, who you might send to, as this is sort of a regular thing with me, so sort of inside the box what I often get called on to do, or do on my own initiative to pass on some input. Some I come up with, or pass on the suggestions of others to City Council, Bd of Sups, MH Board, nonprofits I work with, staff of agencies involved, and post this here as an example, also to share a bit of info in progress of discussion I've passed on.

So, I'll try and take out some of the email addresses, but this went to Ashton in his job at the Bee, Judy Sly, she does editorials, City Council Members,Bd of sups, BHRS Staff, other interested parties, advocacy groups in the mix, as we're trying to develop this art in advocacy idea to grow, get better, and writing the email is an art of having the big email list.

I'm not running for office, but may have made comments in blogs of those running, where perhaps my credentials on why I might know may come up.
So..... Here's an email report on

Policy implications of Recent Art Event, at BHRS October 5

Note: forwarded message attached.

item for kathryn at nami peer to peer outcome from the
peer to peer art project, nami stanislaus

re; Community policy implications for Art Event and
mental wellness first event project with BHRS
Advocates office team.

For others, the modestoartx and advocates office art
walk and music festival outcomes, goals

I've been a support group leader, worked on CIT
training at start up presentation to MPD on my
initiative, with assist from mayor and council member
keating, homeless shelter ad hoc group, CCAA Art award
winner and was open studio chair in early nineties,
working artist, former general contractor, DRAIL
volunteer for MH and disability awareness training,
Blues Festival volunteer and sponsor, among other
projects. My professional background in residential
and commercial and industrial construction and
development.

This item sent initially to BHRS, City Council members
and chair of board of supervisors

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Forwarded Message [ Download File ]

This to City Council, Bee editorial, some other BHRS staff, nonprofits, advocates

RE" Outcomes ModestoArtx Meet the Advocates and Art Walk event October 5

Plain Text Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer ]

Note: forwarded message attached.

By all accounts we've received, this event, that
originated with John Black, who is BHRS Family
advocate, also does the Modesto Blues FEstival was a
real success in its goals, attendance, and support we
recieved from the arts community, venues we post
posters for and at, and those some of our BHRS
friends, staff, family and program attendees regularly
trade with. There will likely be more and variations
on them to initiate some change in Mental Wellness
strategies, support the Arts and improve community.

Forwarded message includes a note we got from Canada
from our myspace bulletin of the modestofamous.com
blog on the October 5 Meet the Advocates Art Walk and
Music Festival, with copy of the blog.

Recovery from mental health, inclusion in the
community, related to other drugs and alcohol, ways to
reinforce this for the individuals, family, community,
but in a lessen the stigma involved was a big part of
this event.

Music, and Art long known to be a coping tool, and
artist, musicians, the public not immune from these
issues just like any other industry, or community
sector, this is also something to include in
discussion of the downtown entertainment policies, as
the Art Therapist participating from Telecare, the
BHRS contractor doing the SHOP homeless outreach
program, and some of the artists included, from the
Children's System of Care, and anti child abuse art
from personally experienced artists.

This was FUN, with several messages, as its more fun
to be artists, art student, art patron or art fan than
involved in mental health, be it client, family, or
even staff. We all have real lives.

The work I've been doing with the State Theatre, has
helped me learn how to do an art special event again,
and the artists involved, but also the venue my group
assists me with, have had an opportunity to help me
with set up, though not yet on exhibit, so they can do
this at this event for BHRS.

Some of the Community Artists involved, helped us to
do this as well, from those who've hung their work
with us, and the other galleries of the art walk,
including where we get the easels, CCAA Mistlin
Gallery, and others on the walk, such as the coffee
houses, where some support groups take the informal
road, check out the music, even support group leaders
out doing their night job of being artists for hire on
exhibit.

Just the fact, I and some staff from BHRS happen to be
award winning artists and on the art walk, has gotten
some of these friends interested in taking a look at
our work at venues they might not have felt open to
them though no barrier but perception may be the
barrier.

We'd like the community govt leaders to note, the new
direction in the client recovery movement is to be
more active, as a volunteer base, as they come to
grips with their life challenges, to reenter the
community, to participate, and the arts do help in
this, as do the artists, the musicians, the civic
cultural events, films, the coffee houses, the music
venues. Artists who have shown at Minnie's, at Copper
Rhino, Queen Bean, even Fat Cat, Modesto Blues
FEstival, other new spots have been involved in this
project to help along recovery, as have some of the
principals and promoters. Viewing their art, meeting
some as artists, you don't know who is who.

Since we expect to see more of these folks out,
thought it a good note to pass on to Restorative
Policing, to the Crisis Intervention Program with MPD,
that these folks buy tickets, coffee, some have a
glass of wine, or popcorn, buy or produce art, play
music professionally, may have had a life change, not
necessarily the security risks any more than the rest
of the public, in the recovery mode. At our event,
everyone seemed to have had a good time, no problems
in security, but we did have McGruff, the crime dog.

A lot of our parks venues, MJC, places some of the
related nonprofits who work this area of community
service hold information events, with or without
music, with few policing problems, and is a large part
of the charitable nonprofit sector, often with big
dollars involved, or a lot of personal time including
our civic groups like Soroptomist, Center for Human
Services, others that do events as well like Grafitti
Summer Events do deal with this sector of the public
on a regular basis, and more and more also find it
convient to use the downtown venues that have the
meeting and multimedia event facilities for this,
besides the improved larger City parks.

thank you

Jim Christiansen
community volunteer, many organizations.
participating artist, volunteer, with this event.

____________________________________________________________________________________
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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 23:12:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: "james christiansen"
Subject: see comment to blog on our event, link
To: johnb@jbpresents.com, "John Black" , "Tim White"

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absolutely inspirational

in a similar vein:

http://www.balloonballoon.blogspot.com/

Rob

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: James
Date: Oct 7, 2007 10:46 PM

Held October 5th, music guests Rachel Renae and Not an
Airplane volunteered their time, as did the community
artists, modestoartx group, Peer to Peer Recovery Art
Project members, many of BHRS staff, and program
volunteers and members.

From my modesto famous blog at
http://www.modestofamous.com

John Black, of JB Presents, is also the Family
Advocate for Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and
Recovery Services, and I do volunteer work at times
with them, and as Blues Festival in Modesto supports
Recovery and Mental Wellness in the package of fun day
in the park with Blues, we combined for an Art and
Music event, more directly involved with Mental
Wellness and Recovery programs, than our fun event in
June, Here is the summary from my jdc104 blog on
modesto famous.

summary Art and Mental Wellness Event, Oct 5th, how it
turned out

Well, the event posted here, Meet the Advocates, Anti
Stigma Art Walk and Music Festival at Stanislaus
County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services main
offices was also number one this week in the Scene
Calendar for art events, and turn out was great, quite
a few folks dropped in from the community, heard some
great music, and a thank you to Rachel Renae and Nick
Shattell, aka Not an Airplane, and my friends from the
Arts Community I enlisted as did Keena Wells, to show
their art with our friends from the Peer to Peer
Recovery Arts project, last seen publicly at the Blues
Festival, and want to thank them, particularly art
demonstrator Jason Van Housen, currently going to show
at Queen Bean Escalon, and found finally at Act of
Kindness, man we had wanted to show with us in June,
and the other artists we recruited from our State
Theatre Art Walk venture, and other friends from the
participating galleries, and venues that posted our
poster for the event, including Queen Bean,
Wanderlust, Simplicita, Mistlin Gallery, State
Theatre, Eric Michael Antiques, Minnie's, friends we
networked with at Chartreuse Muse, Clayton's, Artel,
Nasco, Watson's Upholstery, Act of Kindness, Alano
Club, and too many to name, and volunteers from the
Art and Wine Festival who helped us assist John Black
and Tim White of the Behavioral Health and Recovery
Services staff, who got the gig, the site, the vision
to pull off something more than the tell your story,
or the stereotypical focus on the downside of
depression and other mental health and other drug and
alcohol issues, and really focus on inclusion in the
community, the upside when Recovery in progress or
going well, such folks are working, volunteering,
contributing to the community, having FUN, a component
of getting back to life like everyone else. This was a
bit of an experiment, new approach to some concepts in
the Recovery movement, and addresses an issue, these
folks are artists, musicians, or appreciative art and
music fans too, as are the BHRS staff, the other
organizations that employ folks as volunteers, their
families, and friends. Some learning experience from
this one, we may be able to do more of them, seems to
be a great idea, encouraged to go forward with some
new program ideas that help, not real expensive, more
fun, and is a real positive for some where that's
damned important, so thanks to Mojo, others who helped
on this one, and you readers who noted to us you read
about it here, or saw the posters, or asked how it
went, was really fun thing to work on this month.
About as much fun as a BHRS event has ever been. Art
was great too, we really thank all the participants
who came to look at it all, hear the music, or
produced it. The National Night Out, Golden Valley
Health Services, NAMI Stanislaus, McGruff the Crime
Dog, and some of the other usual programs that present
at community information events, like at MJC
disability week event Thursday, were in attendance as
well, and quite a lot of useful health information
dispensed while having a good time. Also art produced
on premises turned out pretty good, origami included.
Next time, hope to work out way to sell the work on
site, as was on County property, but noted also quite
a bit of interest in the art exhibited.

We appreciate the musicians, artists, poets, venues
and friends helping with this project.

Jim Christiansen, Keena Wells, John Black, Tim White
and others working on this