As a newcomer to the neighborhood, Emily Heinz wanted to start a group to bring a community within the community of Ridgewood together.
Though she may not be a “traditional” artist, art is the field that she most closely relates to and out of her love for it came the new group, The Artist’s Coalition.
“The art community in Ridgewood has existed for a while and now it is growing,” said Heinz, a 22-year-old Denver native who moved to Ridgewood about five months ago. “But there is no real epicenter for it in the community, so I wanted to bring it together.”
The coalition, started in early September, had its first meeting on Oct. 11. The idea that Heinz had for the group was to bring some of the local artists together, discuss their pieces with one another and learn from each other. She figured painters and maybe some photographers would show up.
But when it was time for the meeting, she was overwhelmed by the diversity of artists who attended.
“So many different types of artists came out,” Heinz said. “There were some photographers, writers, painters, sculptors, musical and mixed media artists. It went so well, everyone felt really good about it.”
As the ongoing art scene continues to grow in Ridgewood, Heinz said she wanted the group to “better facilitate the migration of the group and make it a part of the neighborhood.”
As the art scene has now taken off in the neighboring towns of Bushwick and Williamsburg, she does not want people to get confused about her purpose for starting the group.
“I don’t want people to think the group will be invading the community. I’m not interested in that,” Heinz said. “We want it to be part of the community and help it grow.”
The group has strengthened its numbers to 31 members and is growing by the day, according to Heinz. She is excited to host the next meeting on Nov. 8, with the location still being determined.
“We want people that really feel a passion for what they are making; that’s an artist,” Heinz said. “My hope is to have really good conversations and to see other people’s work. I also want the members of the coalition to leave feeling they had something valuable come out of the meeting.”
To find out more about The Artist’s Coalition, visit Ridgewood Artist’s Coalition on Facebook.
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