Photos of CHL meetings at Annie Bailey's and The Brickyard by Todd Spitler and Krisha Martzall |
The CHL Creates Community
By Madeline Masters
The Creative House of Lancaster (CHL) has many objectives including creating a sense of community for artisans in the area. The CHL requires no membership fees or dues; the organization welcomes everyone. Admittance does not call for any special certifications, levels of education, or size of business. People just starting out and people who have enjoyed huge success can all join the CHL to share ideas, communicate, network, and feel connected with others involved in the arts.
The CHL’s primary objective is to ignite the artistic community in Lancaster.
“There was no ‘real’ arts community before the CHL exploded,” said Jennifer McMorris, a local photographer who also serves as the CHL’s event coordinator.
McMorris feels that since the CHL took off, Lancaster’s creative community has opened to a broader base of artists. The CHL also branches out to see what various types of artists are doing in other areas. Through the CHL’s e–zine, Subject2Change, subscribers and CHL members learn about what creatives in other cities, states, and even countries are doing to promote creativity and productivity.
CHL members encompass graphic designers, illustrators, fine artists, musicians, writers, craftspeople, and videographers. No cap is set on the number of people from each trade represented in the group. The CHL is about helping each other, not competing with one another.
“Artists actually helping each other instead of stepping on each other's toes to get ahead: that's my idea of a real community,” said McMorris.
The CHL has also brought their community to the greater community at large. The group organized two major events that shared the CHL with the rest of Lancaster. The Alley Kat cooperated with the group to host Art in the Bar, which allowed participating artists to show their pieces in the casual alternative setting. In the Christmas season, many CHL members displayed and sold their work at the Community Art Market at Eastern Market. With events like the Artist’s Market and Art in the Bar, the entire community of Lancaster has an opportunity to learn about the CHL and in some way participate, whether it’s buying a piece from a local artisan or discussing one of their works over a good pint of beer.
The best way to experience the community within the CHL is to attend a meeting—-and make sure to bring a stack of business cards because nearly every gathering includes a “networking” activity.
“We're always networking and referring people we know to other people we know for jobs and conversation,” explained McMorris.
The CHL is a tight-knit group that’s always looking to add new threads. And no CHL member (or potential member) is left behind. The CHL want to ensure that everyone who attends a meeting goes home having accomplished something, whether it’s gaining information about their field, making a business connection, or making a new friend. They want to see everyone get involved and get something out of being in the organization, even if it is someone’s first time attending a meeting.
Stories of how CHL’s members have benefited from the group since its inception six months ago are plentiful. Members have made business contacts, gotten work, shared ideas and collaborated with other artists, and generally gained a sense of belonging. When CHL members come together, they feel encouraged to continue promoting the artistic movement in Lancaster rather than giving in to the draw of “the big city” where a thriving artistic community is supposedly guaranteed. CHL members know they need go no further than down the street to Annie Bailey’s or around the corner to the Brickyard (on the third Thursday of every month) to find like-minded individuals and know that they belong, right here in the City of Lancaster. Even the name of the group implies inclusion: it is a house; a place where creatives come to feel at home.