I really do not enjoy moving. It is quite a chore at any age, but at this point in my life, it really takes a toll on my knees and back. Nonetheless, it is necessary, so I am looking at it as a new adventure.

Last year in March, I moved to my present home amid much fanfare. I had been awarded an Artist Residency to do public art as a means of redeveloping one of Canton’s older neighborhoods. The goal was to have me reside in a designated neighborhood and engage other residents in creative public art. There was great anticipation and support for the project, and there was hope that it would become an ongoing activity.

Things started to go astray, however, early on. I have not shared much about it publicly, as I did not want to air struggles, but it turned into quite a trying year.

First of all, the house that I rented had multiple issues that prevented me from using it as was intended as a place to invite neighbors to engage in creative activities. I won’t share the details. Just suffice to say, I was unable to resolve the issues, yet had few choices but to remain in the place.

Second, the hopes for ongoing funding of the residency did not come to fruition, and the project was given a definite time limit – 1 year. (There was no guarantee that it would go past a year in the first place, but there were hopeful expectations offered.)

All of this was personally challenging. We were successful, however, in engaging a few residents in an art project where we created artsy little houses as neighborhood identity markers. The project was marred somewhat by vandalism, yet, repairs are in process to make the houses more sturdy in the future.

I made some wonderful friendships in the process, and despite the challenges, that made the whole thing worthwhile. But the residency is finished now, and it is time for me and the cats to move to a more accommodating home.

I have found a house near Alliance, OH that I believe will be a better fit for us. It truly is an artist’s dream house with lots of creative space in a rustic setting. It is in a neighborhood outside of the city, although it is close to a shopping area, so it sort of has the best of two worlds. There are many windows and lots of places to climb, so I believe the cats will absolutely love it!

We will be moving in the next few weeks so there’s lots of work to do. Stay tuned as we endeavor into this new adventure!