Two Degrees of Separation

It’s not Six here in ‘Burque’ (doesn’t rhyme with ‘turkey’), it’s definitely Two.

The madness of it all came to a head today. Here’s my tale: I met Paula through Duke City Fix. Though I was (and am) wary of all relationships generated online (if not all relationships period, but that’s another story altogether), I dug her art, she ‘friended’ me, and our emails were refreshing. When she had an opening at Factory on 5th, I went and we met in person and a coffee date was set at the entirely neutral Sunshine Café (just in case, right!). We met up, and right away a friendship was solidified. So now, several months and life adventures later, I am renting a studio in her new artist studio space (Chroma, stay tuned for more adventures there). As I was laying Astroturf (yay) in my new space this afternoon, we were chatting about a previous job I’d held as Director of Arts Integration at a local charter high school. She relayed that she’d once done a project with them as well, but we figured it was before my time. Or after. Then we realized (she did, I must give her the credit) that it was in fact right at the beginning of ‘my time’. Boom, we’d already met – I was the new art program director, she was a visiting artist, we’d worked on the same project…this was YEARS ago, but we’d already met. And here’s a little twist, just to get all the juice out of this one – during that project, my group of kids did a community art event that Douglas Kent Hall (r.i.p.) partnered with us on. We held the event in his space, which is now Factory on 5th (yep, where Paula’s studio was when I met her in person this time around!)

Okay, whatever, laws of the universe, we were meant to meet and do great things. This happens…but nowhere with the regularity it occurs here in Albuquerque. And now with DCF, it’s just shy of insanity. But this is not the end of this particular circle of connection.

I read Jacqui Lewnes Blog-Invite to her show at New Grounds Print Workshop and Gallery last week. The gallery is on the way to Art Bar Gallery and Arthaus66, where I was meeting up with the rest of my posse, so I added a stop there to our itinerary. Jacqui’s art is wonderful, her demo was great, my sister was so super inspired that she’s going to take some classes at the workshop. In the process of getting class info, I met Ray Maseman, an artist whose work I’d also seen on DCF and totally dug. Cool, and no coincidence thus far. Until I signed the mailing list. Ray walked over to me a little later and said “Um, did you use to live on Summit?” I’m never sure how much personal info to reveal…but yes, during my first Albuquerque Adventure I did. “My wife just saw your name, we didn’t think there could be two of you … we’re the ones who kicked you out of your house!” They didn’t actually kick me out, I was renting and had to move out because the house was being sold. But seriously!!! How does that happen? I had no idea he was an artist when they did their walk through of the house, and never saw him again until last week (that I’m aware of).

So, here’s the thing that ties the whole mad bit together. That day the house on Summit was being shown, I noticed the mom of the family seemed familiar… of course! just the previous week, I’d gone on a field trip with some of my students (from the High School where Paula had once been a visiting artist...) to the Bosque after the Big Fire. The mama who looked so familiar (who is a DCF member as well) had been our tour guide.

So that’s one loop. There are others, not specific to DCF. I interviewed to teach at CNM, and after I’d completed the meeting I was chatting with one of the interviewers. In the course of a fairly brief chat, we realized we went to college the same years less than a hundred miles apart (two very small colleges on the East Coast), were buddies with members of the same band (I’m not going to drop names because that’s weak, but it’s a band that since made it big time), moved to San Francisco in the same year, and lived only a few blocks apart while she was there. And then there we were, in a basement room at CNM discussing possible new offerings for the CNM Emeritus Program.

I've lived in big cities most of my adult life (San Francisco, Los Angeles_) with smatterings of small towns thrown in (Plainfield VT, Montpelier VT, Northampton MA...) I've never had this happen so often - not within my 'artist circles', not randomly.

There are more I could relay, some seriously crazy tales. My friend KiraLi, born and raised here, told me about this phenomenon when I first came here 6 years ago (along with the ‘land of entrapment’ deal, which I insisted wouldn’t affect me since I’d only be around for a couple years before heading back to CA…yet here I am back again, and plan to stay for say…ever.) But there, with much rambling, is my first ‘blog’ ever … I truly believe I can walk into almost any environment here in Albuquerque and if we chat long enough we'll find we've already met in a previous adventure, or almost met. or I dated your brother. or you dated mine. or, since I couldn’t possibly have dated that many fellas, there is some other perfectly good explanation for how we almost know each other.