John Chacona writes Posts

Ashley Reitz should probably be the mayor of my hometown. She is charming, quirky, talented, beautiful and persuasive. Above all, though, she is possessed of a boundless energy that, in stark contrast to the exhausted and cynical political class of Erie, PA, is entirely positive.

I met her at the Whole Foods CoOp where we both work, and when circumstances caused me to divest myself of the studio space I had at 1505 State Street, Ashley took it over. Good on her. I always sensed a special energy about that building (a friend said it was like the dorms in college, a place where the dreamers could hang out and creatively avoid deadlines, a crucible of ideas), and that energy can only have increased since Ashley arrived.

Though she’s primarily a visual artist, she also does performance. There’s a strong element of whimsy in these events, which happen at about 1 p.m. on Sundays. I shot some images of last Sunday’s thang and one is above. This Sunday’s will no doubt be completely different, but I have no idea as to what might happen.

There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by stopping by. Think of this life-as-improvisation gig as a valuable reminder of the importance of whimsy in our modern, hyper-scheduled lives.

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