For the past couple weeks now a lot of time has been dedicated to our new project in collaboration with Glenn Loughran and the Mattress Factory museum: The General Will. Many of the nights leading up to the opening this past Friday were spent washing windows and sweeping up as crowds of baseball fans streamed past.

Just a few minutes ago an Equitable Gas employee knocked on my door needing to get down to the basement to do a meter reading. He, like everyone else, wanted to know when we were “re-opening” and was confused by our re-use of the space. I got to explain that there are no plans yet for a new bar to open up, but in the mean time we are operating the Space as the headquarters for our College project. We had a good little conversation as I explained to him about the possibilities of higher ed in a non-traditional space, how much money it might save, and what the Thoreau quote on the window was all about.

This conversation and all of the other revelations that are sparked by the confusion of the place is exactly why this project will be (and has already been) a success. It does not have so much to do with how much we actually do in the space, though we’ll be doing a lot, it has more to do with the larger conversation it starts. There is great value in the confusion.

An empty bar can be a great place for a College class.
College does not need to cost as much.

I’ve seen numerous passer-bys arc their neck backwards and then stop, so they can finish reading the Thoreau quote on the window as they pass:

“[They] should not play life, or study it merely, while the community supports them at this expensive game, but earnestly live it from beginning to end.”

Just the fact that thousands of people will engage with this brief text in its strange context has made this work valuable.

Tonight though, begins the real activity here. Most every night this week I will be here; we’ll be holding a number of planning meetings for the School, a concert/discussion on Thursday, and likely some open hours over the weekend.

Come say hello!