Now more than ever, new approaches—events to lift spirits and spark ideas, new ways to connect and come up with solutions—are exactly what are needed right now. We are all in these difficult times together, and President-Elect Obama has campaigned on the premise that he cannot solve all of these problems without our help. We at C3A are energized by this opportunity, especially since organization cofounders Greg Layton and Deborah Kates have been working for 35 years to bring art to center stage not only as entertainment but as an economic solution. C3A has staged many larger public "art is the glue" events; now, people indicate they don't always care to be 'lost in the crowd' and want smaller, more personal events that offer fun as well as mind food in a safe and interesting environment. So we will be presenting a variety of events within the next year — from visual art discussions and poetry to music/mentoring and art barters. Maybe we'll blow off some steam about the state of economic affairs at one of our topics-of-the-day salon discussions. The venue for these events will be eARTh (everybody's Art home), the home and cultural center of Layton and Kates in Wagontown, Chester County (venue of the Grounds for Music yearly festival — which we hope to continue). This one-of-a kind passive solar home was built by Greg's parents during the energy crisis in the mid-1970s, and features soaring views and works of art inside and out, a welcoming spirit and an events room featuring a "sunken" art gallery and music lounge. Have ideas for an event at eARTh? Want to premiere or discuss your book or poems, body of visual art or musicwork(s), a topic for discussion or other things on your mind? Let's talk. Go to the home page and click "contact us" so we can contact you. Hope you can join us in eARTh's orbit!