Angels Among Us

Today, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of meeting an angel among us.  You know those people who are just so kind and interesting, who challenge us to think a little more about others than we do about ourselves.  Sometimes when I meet them, I think, what’s your angle?  What’s the catch?   But other times, I’m just so inspired by the simple power of taking action that I feel enlivened just to have met someone.  Today’s one of those days.

She’s an artist named Susan Adame who now works in oil, but has been a fabric designer, potter and collage/watercolorist.  I lucked into her, of course, as I always do.  My friend started following her Facebook page and loved her work.  A few months ago, Susan started offering her oil paintings and collages as incentive for people to donate to either of two causes she cares about (the folks opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline, Standing with Standing Rock or victims of the recent fire in Oakland, CA).  These days we see a lot of things on Facebook and its easy to get cynical.  So we were thinking, there must be something else going on here.  But there’s no catch.  You choose the charity and donate $250, and then you get to pick out your art.

Why would she do this?  How can she support herself?  Isn’t her art good enough to sell?  It is and it has.  She’s sold lots and made, as she calls it, a lovely living doing what she loves.  I just met her today and I can honestly say that she just does this because she can.  That’s what she can do.  To be a part of her community.  To help where she can.  To give back to the world that she believes has given her so much.  She read in the paper how the Oakland A’s had donated $20,000 to the Oakland fire victims (for those outside the Bay, it was a terrible fire where 35+ people died in an off-grid nightclub/warehouse).  She thought she might be able to raise that much by giving away art to those who donate and she’s already raised well over $2000 and still counting.

We toured her home as we looked at art.  She’s temporarily sacrificing her living room in her Albany, CA cottage and has brought all her older work up from the basement to give away.  As we browsed, she told of us her longstanding civic work in this modest east bay community –arts boards, gallery owner, concerned citizen.  She led the effort to require all new commercial construction or renovation to spend a percentage of the total cost on public art, viewable by everyone.  That can mean sculpture, murals, whatever so that the public spaces of her town are enriched as the buildings are refurbished and remodeled.  At one time, tiny Albany (populations 20,000) required the biggest set aside for art of any city California.  That’s saying something.  She’s got another grand plan to take the same idea further and make spaces for artists to live and work in the midst of our bustling region, where so many artisans and creative types are finding it impossible to stay and work.

We left Susan feeling humbled and inspired.  She’s doing what she can to make the world a little better.  She’s delighted to share her work and move money toward organizations she cares about.  She clearly believes that the more she gives away, the more she has.

Thank you, Susan, for reminding me of the true meaning of the holiday season.

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