Letter to Rhonda Framm
The week of January 19, I composed and sent out two similar letters, describing my situation and how I got there. I don't know if this was the best idea for garnering financial support, but I feel desperate at times - the victim of cruel fate. I've put them here under my psychology section, because it's a window into my mind. - gfs 2015-01-27
>Dear George,
> My pleasure! Are things going well with you?
Hi Rhonda,
Yes and no.
I was planning on writing you anyway, so I might as well use this opportunity to put my thoughts down. It’s kind of an epic.
Charlie Steinhauser, the bassist who lead the band that played at the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, passed away in 2013, so I don't know if I'll ever get to play there and see you again.
Charlie was a great friend. We'd frequently go to classic car shows, him with his 57 T-Bird, or 56 Ford Fairlane, and me with my 69 Chevy Caprice. That's all gone now.
-----
One of the worst effects I suffered from the wrongful arrest, was memory loss from PTSD. Perhaps even stranger was losing the ability to read. I just could not concentrate on the words.
The reading is almost back to normal. The memory has gotten better too, though I don't think it will ever be as it once was. I keep at it though; especially working on memorizing the piano and jazz pieces I've composed over the decades.
I don't know if it happened because of the stress, but I developed hip arthritis. It got so bad that I scheduled a total replacement for July 2013. However in the pre-op exam, it was discovered that my ticker could go at anytime, so instead, I had open-heart surgery. Three months later the hip was done, and a month later, a defibrillator was put in.
Interestingly enough, I was quite calm about all this. I seem to have this spirit and drive to survive that comes to the surface when really needed, and I "knew" I was going to make it.
-----
As 2013 was coming to an end, I figured I was in the home stretch of my life. In spite of all I'd done, I'd little to show for it, which is why I started a website to showcase my work. There turned out to be so much in fact that I had to develop a second site. The first is my Composer - Pianist site. No.2 is Artwork - Commentary (mine and others) - Photos.
As a result of growing up a battered child, my life has been plagued with depression and self-doubt. Discovering and seeing my artistic accomplishments laid out before me, has helped to tone that down.
While my composing has never been an issue, being something that's ready to blossom forth at the slightest inspiration, it’s been different with live performance.
-----
Jane Lamar-Spicka, my late wife, and I had been doing well with our music career. We’d worked hard for 20 years, and in 1994 produced a CD that ended up on the Grammy Nominations Ballot, one step below an actual nomination.
Jazz Street Station was a 501(c)3 performing arts ensemble, the mission being to promote the work of greater Baltimore Area jazz composers.
We were working on a follow up CD, when Jane suffered a severe sciatic nerve injury that brought her jazz performance career, and our ensemble, to an end.
Essentially I became the sole breadwinner, which turned out to be a combination of my playing gigs for others, teaching - sometimes up to 20 piano students, and working a part-time delivery job for a print shop in Columbia. While I didn’t have the necessary time to promote my own efforts, I still was composing, a lot in fact.
-----
Jane passed away suddenly in August of 2005. After about 6 months of mourning, I started rebuilding my life, especially my career. Things were going well. I even secured a temporary position in late August 2006 with the Maryland State Arts Council, in regard to the National Performing Arts Convention, which being held in Baltimore that year. When over, I received kudos for the job I did, and had made several good connections. It was a few weeks later that the arrest happened, blowing everything I’d worked on to hell.
You know what happened after that, and I’ve brought you up to date on some other activities, ending with the mention of live performance.
I find myself in a fix about that, because of the following.
-----
About three months before the open-heart surgery, I attended a seminar sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council.
They have these every five years to get opinions about previous efforts, and how to improve on them. All of this has to do with a long-term plan to turn Maryland into a “Mecca” for the arts.
I raised the issue about the difficulty Baltimore jazz composers were having in getting their efforts heard by a wider audience, and specifically cited our “Citywide Arts Festival,” Artscape, as a way to help remedy this.
A representative of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, in front of about 60 people, then told me that the reason this wouldn’t happen, was because the jazz music I was talking about wasn’t “popular,” and only “smooth” jazz would be considered.
Before I sat down, I said I thought the arts were about excellence.
Ironically enough, next thing on the agenda was to review the priorities of the Maryland State Arts Council, which were listed in a brochure we were all given.
Number one was Excellence! I actually was applauded by some of the audience members.
Nevertheless, the experience left me feeling rather empty.
-----
I have talked earlier here, about Jazz Street Station, and the success of our first CD. In working on garnering interest in the second CD, I sent a letter to Mayor Schmoke, known as a lover of jazz, asking if he’d write some liner notes.
I got a letter back, with him bragging about Artscape’s attendance figures, no word about the liner notes. My response back was while that was well and good; it did nothing to help Baltimore jazz composers.
Then I got a letter from Clair List, the executive director for MACAC, saying that because we were located in the county, we were ineligible for funding from the city. Well, I didn’t ask for funds, only support. After all, Jane and I had spent about $7,000 of our own money to make this project happen. There were no suggestions, not even a hint of interest. It was futile to go on, so I focused on other things.
The trouble was that after Jane’s injury, I took a part-time delivery job with a print shop in Columbia MD, which is located in Howard County. Three of our clients were arts facilities. Whenever I stopped one, I’d grab some flyers to see what was going on. It was in this way I discovered not one, but two arts events in Howard County, that were funded in part by MACAC.
Either Clair lied to me, and there was a way for a non-city organization to get funding, or else MACAC was awarding grants under the table.
I complained about this on Baltimore’s Artmobile forum.
What was interesting though, was that about 6 months later, MACAC disappeared. The official explanation being that it had been merged into the Baltimore Office of promotion and the arts. Clair List disappeared too. Coincidence?
A few years later, I happened to attended a workshop hosted at BOPA’s headquarters, where I ran into Ms. List. She was still there, though behind the scenes. Being that she was the primary fundraiser, I imagine she still wielded a lot of clout.
I can’t help but wonder, since Clair has already exhibited a less-then-favorable attitude in promoting innovation in the jazz arts, if it might be she that’s behind BOPA’s policy?
-----
Perhaps for years I’ve misunderstood the purpose of the National Endowment for the Arts. Once upon a time, I thought it was formed, in part, to give real artists and innovators opportunities to have their work and insights appreciated in a way that popular forms won’t allow. But what we see in reality seems to be the exact opposite. In fact, it’s as if “The Arts” has become an obstacle to excellence.
In fact, it seems as if many of these festivals and such, mainly promote commercial enterprise. They throw the real artists just enough crumbs, so they can say they support the “arts,” but that’s it.
I’m not a snob, having performed in a number of popular music and “smooth” jazz groups in the past. But from my perspective, the balance is way off. The commercial groups get a mass of publicity, while the artists devoted to excellence and innovation get a sentence or two, if they are even included in the first place.
So… That leads me to the crux of this letter.
-----
In my efforts to think out of the box, I’ve decided to ask people directly, if they’d be interested in supporting my creative efforts as a patron of the arts. Unlike someone like Claude Debussy, this doesn’t have to be a carte blanche proposal. I can tailor work towards conveying a specific idea or goal. This can also be done on a project-to-project basis.
Since I typically bring in about $800/month, an immediate benefit would be the easing of financial worries.
I’ve never used this approach before, so please let me know your thoughts on this.
Sincerely,
George F. Spicka
www.georgefspicka.com (Composer – Pianist)
http://georgespicka.weebly.com/ (Artwork – Commentary – Photos)
> My pleasure! Are things going well with you?
Hi Rhonda,
Yes and no.
I was planning on writing you anyway, so I might as well use this opportunity to put my thoughts down. It’s kind of an epic.
Charlie Steinhauser, the bassist who lead the band that played at the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, passed away in 2013, so I don't know if I'll ever get to play there and see you again.
Charlie was a great friend. We'd frequently go to classic car shows, him with his 57 T-Bird, or 56 Ford Fairlane, and me with my 69 Chevy Caprice. That's all gone now.
-----
One of the worst effects I suffered from the wrongful arrest, was memory loss from PTSD. Perhaps even stranger was losing the ability to read. I just could not concentrate on the words.
The reading is almost back to normal. The memory has gotten better too, though I don't think it will ever be as it once was. I keep at it though; especially working on memorizing the piano and jazz pieces I've composed over the decades.
I don't know if it happened because of the stress, but I developed hip arthritis. It got so bad that I scheduled a total replacement for July 2013. However in the pre-op exam, it was discovered that my ticker could go at anytime, so instead, I had open-heart surgery. Three months later the hip was done, and a month later, a defibrillator was put in.
Interestingly enough, I was quite calm about all this. I seem to have this spirit and drive to survive that comes to the surface when really needed, and I "knew" I was going to make it.
-----
As 2013 was coming to an end, I figured I was in the home stretch of my life. In spite of all I'd done, I'd little to show for it, which is why I started a website to showcase my work. There turned out to be so much in fact that I had to develop a second site. The first is my Composer - Pianist site. No.2 is Artwork - Commentary (mine and others) - Photos.
As a result of growing up a battered child, my life has been plagued with depression and self-doubt. Discovering and seeing my artistic accomplishments laid out before me, has helped to tone that down.
While my composing has never been an issue, being something that's ready to blossom forth at the slightest inspiration, it’s been different with live performance.
-----
Jane Lamar-Spicka, my late wife, and I had been doing well with our music career. We’d worked hard for 20 years, and in 1994 produced a CD that ended up on the Grammy Nominations Ballot, one step below an actual nomination.
Jazz Street Station was a 501(c)3 performing arts ensemble, the mission being to promote the work of greater Baltimore Area jazz composers.
We were working on a follow up CD, when Jane suffered a severe sciatic nerve injury that brought her jazz performance career, and our ensemble, to an end.
Essentially I became the sole breadwinner, which turned out to be a combination of my playing gigs for others, teaching - sometimes up to 20 piano students, and working a part-time delivery job for a print shop in Columbia. While I didn’t have the necessary time to promote my own efforts, I still was composing, a lot in fact.
-----
Jane passed away suddenly in August of 2005. After about 6 months of mourning, I started rebuilding my life, especially my career. Things were going well. I even secured a temporary position in late August 2006 with the Maryland State Arts Council, in regard to the National Performing Arts Convention, which being held in Baltimore that year. When over, I received kudos for the job I did, and had made several good connections. It was a few weeks later that the arrest happened, blowing everything I’d worked on to hell.
You know what happened after that, and I’ve brought you up to date on some other activities, ending with the mention of live performance.
I find myself in a fix about that, because of the following.
-----
About three months before the open-heart surgery, I attended a seminar sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council.
They have these every five years to get opinions about previous efforts, and how to improve on them. All of this has to do with a long-term plan to turn Maryland into a “Mecca” for the arts.
I raised the issue about the difficulty Baltimore jazz composers were having in getting their efforts heard by a wider audience, and specifically cited our “Citywide Arts Festival,” Artscape, as a way to help remedy this.
A representative of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, in front of about 60 people, then told me that the reason this wouldn’t happen, was because the jazz music I was talking about wasn’t “popular,” and only “smooth” jazz would be considered.
Before I sat down, I said I thought the arts were about excellence.
Ironically enough, next thing on the agenda was to review the priorities of the Maryland State Arts Council, which were listed in a brochure we were all given.
Number one was Excellence! I actually was applauded by some of the audience members.
Nevertheless, the experience left me feeling rather empty.
-----
I have talked earlier here, about Jazz Street Station, and the success of our first CD. In working on garnering interest in the second CD, I sent a letter to Mayor Schmoke, known as a lover of jazz, asking if he’d write some liner notes.
I got a letter back, with him bragging about Artscape’s attendance figures, no word about the liner notes. My response back was while that was well and good; it did nothing to help Baltimore jazz composers.
Then I got a letter from Clair List, the executive director for MACAC, saying that because we were located in the county, we were ineligible for funding from the city. Well, I didn’t ask for funds, only support. After all, Jane and I had spent about $7,000 of our own money to make this project happen. There were no suggestions, not even a hint of interest. It was futile to go on, so I focused on other things.
The trouble was that after Jane’s injury, I took a part-time delivery job with a print shop in Columbia MD, which is located in Howard County. Three of our clients were arts facilities. Whenever I stopped one, I’d grab some flyers to see what was going on. It was in this way I discovered not one, but two arts events in Howard County, that were funded in part by MACAC.
Either Clair lied to me, and there was a way for a non-city organization to get funding, or else MACAC was awarding grants under the table.
I complained about this on Baltimore’s Artmobile forum.
What was interesting though, was that about 6 months later, MACAC disappeared. The official explanation being that it had been merged into the Baltimore Office of promotion and the arts. Clair List disappeared too. Coincidence?
A few years later, I happened to attended a workshop hosted at BOPA’s headquarters, where I ran into Ms. List. She was still there, though behind the scenes. Being that she was the primary fundraiser, I imagine she still wielded a lot of clout.
I can’t help but wonder, since Clair has already exhibited a less-then-favorable attitude in promoting innovation in the jazz arts, if it might be she that’s behind BOPA’s policy?
-----
Perhaps for years I’ve misunderstood the purpose of the National Endowment for the Arts. Once upon a time, I thought it was formed, in part, to give real artists and innovators opportunities to have their work and insights appreciated in a way that popular forms won’t allow. But what we see in reality seems to be the exact opposite. In fact, it’s as if “The Arts” has become an obstacle to excellence.
In fact, it seems as if many of these festivals and such, mainly promote commercial enterprise. They throw the real artists just enough crumbs, so they can say they support the “arts,” but that’s it.
I’m not a snob, having performed in a number of popular music and “smooth” jazz groups in the past. But from my perspective, the balance is way off. The commercial groups get a mass of publicity, while the artists devoted to excellence and innovation get a sentence or two, if they are even included in the first place.
So… That leads me to the crux of this letter.
-----
In my efforts to think out of the box, I’ve decided to ask people directly, if they’d be interested in supporting my creative efforts as a patron of the arts. Unlike someone like Claude Debussy, this doesn’t have to be a carte blanche proposal. I can tailor work towards conveying a specific idea or goal. This can also be done on a project-to-project basis.
Since I typically bring in about $800/month, an immediate benefit would be the easing of financial worries.
I’ve never used this approach before, so please let me know your thoughts on this.
Sincerely,
George F. Spicka
www.georgefspicka.com (Composer – Pianist)
http://georgespicka.weebly.com/ (Artwork – Commentary – Photos)