How A series of house shows is becoming a two-day showcasing of talent

Come with me for an evening, we’re going to a house show. You might not know anybody, it’ll be ok. There will be snacks. Nooks. It’s not a cliquish group. It’s Spring, Summer, Fall... We’re in a house, on a patio, in a backyard, in a plant shop, a café. People are standing, sitting on couches, futons, rugs. Children and dogs weave in and out.

The founder of Invisible Thread, Caitlin Wraith, takes the mic, gives the land acknowledgement and sets the intention of inclusivity and grace.

During the evening, bands play, an artist paints live, people listen attentively, with respect.

“What is Invisible Thread Events?” you whisper to me, chewing on a pizza someone donated from their job most likely.

“It’s like, house shows with exhibits and live art and they also do workshops. It’s “chosen family” kind of stuff, where art and community coexist.”

From the website, invisiblethreadevents.com declares that they “strive to create safer spaces where folks can gather to connect through music and art, as well as support our creative community. It is our hope that community is cultivated little by little with every concert, gallery, and workshop put on in Central Oregon.”

Invisible Thread Events:

Since 2022, what started as a series of house shows has evolved into a multifaceted organization incorporating every feasible medium. Wye Low playing a set while Xochilt paints. An abstract art workshop by Raina Verhey, performances and vintage racks among the cacti and succulents of Desert Cactus Rose. A bookbinding workshop at Café Des Chutes.

The artists and mediums are as varied as the locations that hold space for these occasions.

“We’ve held over 25 house shows and hosted 7 workshops,” Caitlin admits, “pretty wild when I look back.”

The namesake comes from a Chinese proverb, “An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.” Its founder, Caitlin Wraith, was drawn towards the visual of the red thread, constructing it into the organizations logo and branding.

At its core Invisible Thread Events is about connection. While every event showcases visual and performative art, collectively they seek to weave a tapestry of connection within the community. Every event fosters an environment where artists and audience interact on a deeper level.

Entangle:

The culmination of these years of crafting connection is Entangle, a two-day Friday/Saturday immersive gallery September 13th & 14th. The exhibit showcases the talents of participating artists with no jury process or limits on medium or size.

The criteria of the participating artists of Entangle is for the project to be collaborative and immersive.

Requiring collaboration means a work must have more than one artist, and immersive indicating there is an invitation for the audience to participate in some way.

Entangle challenges artists to come together and examine how their talents intersect, using their strengths to create, while dismantling competitive ideologies. It was in this spirit of shared values that Caitlin reached out to me last year and asked, “do you want to help me curate an exhibit?”

Are you still enjoying your pizza? I’ll keep explaining.

Participating Artists:

Entangle is new territory for each participant: a risk, an experiment. Thirty artists took the challenge and signed up, either partnering with another artist or orchestrating community involvement.

Anastasia Zielinski of Freak’n Art organized a fiber-flower installation, generously inviting the public to use a drop-in time at her studio to create a garden.

Eva Lund an illustrator/character designer and Sage Flannery, a graphic design/printer-maker scheme to create a life-size character moving through a doorway.

Francie Town, a children’s book artist and Hattie Startling a horticulturist at Haystack’s Flower Farm plan for a living installation of characters and plants.

Work from the 30 + artists brims the showcasing with inspired multi-media concoctions.

Momentum has been building since early Spring in form of networking events and free community workshops preparing for Entangle.

In May, artists were given three months to imagine the genesis of an idea, the project proposals being due in August.

A monthly meet-n-greet gathered prompted artists to share ideas and inspiration.

In June, the Underground Book Gallery hosted the first pop-up workshop based in collaging a large “paper quilt.”

On Last Saturday of that month, the Workhouse helmed a project inviting participants to be drawn by illustrators and answer the prompt “What is community?”

A month-long pop-up station at Turtle Island Coffee and various locations imagines an installation titled “Wish Bugles,” requesting participants to write wishes on crescent slips of paper that will be shaped and hung on red thread. The networking and pop-up workshops serve to promote Invisible Thread Events value of connection and art.

The quilt work of connection grows with every event.

The Venue:

Open Space Event Studios helmed by Leah Rutz expressed interest early in the process of developing community alliances. The sharing of similar values, holding space for community and art, linked the work of scrappy Invisible Thread with the dynamic venue. Home of the popular Moonlight Market, dance parties, improv, conferences, church, classic theater, etc - Open Space has been a versatile container for whatever is thrown at it. Its location, one block from 3rd street on Lafayette, once a small theater, continues the spirit of entertainment and social engagement.

Documenting the process of Entangle in the series “Stitches,” which asks collaborating artist about their inspiration and process. Appearing on the Invisible Thread Events instagram and website, “Stitches” asks artists to discuss their collaborative project and what they admire about the artist they’re working with. The feel-good documentation offers a rare glimpse of artists in-process building upon the foundation of Entangle. While artist and audience interact in the final exhibit, having the chance to see what goes into the work is valuable and fundamental to Invisible Thread Events mission. And the work of “Stitches" makes Entangle more than just a two-day event.

Leading up to the September 13th and 14th event, the organizations founder Caitlin Wraith reflected on the Invisible Thread Events mission.

“If what we’re seeking to do is connect artists to each other and community, the event has already been a success.”

Through the interwoven qualities of artist and community involvement through networking events, pop-up workshops, and ongoing house shows, Entangle weaves an exciting space for community members to witness and explore.