Art on 45

 "Art on 45" is the fundraiser that I came up with last year, and now I am in the middle of organizing it for the second time. It all started when I saw a box of old 45rpm records sitting in the corner of a thrift store. Most of them were severely scratched, the songs or singers I never heard of, there were hand-written notes on the records, some were in sleeves, some of those sleeves half-eaten by mice or by time.

Of course, I took the records home. Because this box held everything: It was a gathering of memories and dreams, of thoughts and feelings.

I remember the first record I bought. It was a long-play, the Red Album by the Beatles. I was 12 and had a crush on a boy in my older sister's class. He was a serious Beatles fan. I hadn't been into that kind of music before, I liked music but I didn't think about it. I turned the radio on and listened to whatever came on. Some songs I liked, others I didn't. The Red Album changed everything for me. I listened to And I love Her and Norwegian Wood over and over for months as these songs had cathartic meaning to me. They brought about sadness when I wanted to feel sadness, and other feelings that I wasn't able to define. I have loved music ever since.

As a young woman I moved into an apartment building that was right next to a record store. It was the beginning of the CD era. Little by little all the beautiful vinyl got replaced by those shiny compact discs in their shiny jewel cases. Soon there were only a few boxes with low-priced records sitting in the back of the store and finally were gone completely.

Now the vinyl is coming back. Record stores are coming back. And the record players. And the sweetness that comes with all that vinyl.

All this was on my mind last year when I asked local artists to paint a 45rpm record. I wanted to create a meeting of songs and singers and of their interpretations by the various painters. As the result, I received 28 very unique pieces of art. My husband photographed the pieces and made a beautiful book about the collection. The 45s were then exhibited and sold at a silent auction to benefit the local Montessori School. It was thrilling how successful "Art on 45" was last year and very encouraging to do it again.

"1 beer 4 six dollars" was my contribution for the 2016 Art on 45. I was thinking about the years of living in big cities in my home country Germany. As a college student I was more awake at night than during the day, and too often the money was short and wasn't quite enough to have another beer and hang out or dance some more. I remember those moments when I walked with my friend through the sleeping city, only the newspaper people were on their bikes, and the bakeries were getting their first batches of breads ready. All these smells. The sun was beginning to rise and I took the first subway home. A long time ago. I'm still a night owl, by the way.

Now it's 2017. 45 artists said they would love to participate this year. It is a fantastic and very diverse group of artists, and I just know that their pieces will be exquisite. Four of these records are already finished, and I have received them. For now they are sitting on my empty dining table awaiting more company.

Like last year, the Art on 45 records will be up for a silent auction to raise funds for the local Montessori School. It is a small school - my children's school - and needs to grow. I am happy to support them, and grateful to the participating artists who do the same.