((inset) Caitlin McDonough and Rachel Lee-Carman | Photos courtesy of Invisible Thread Events)
An Immersive Art Exhibit
Invisible Thread Events was founded two years ago by Caitlin McDonough with the goal of bringing connection, and more house shows, to Bend. Wanting to get more into the underground art and music scene but not knowing where to start, Caitlin decided to throw her own version.
After one successful show that featured a visual artist, Caitlin wanted to grow that experience and make it something more. “I slowly discovered that there are so many unique artists around town who would love to run a creative workshop, and to showcase their work,” she said.
However, Caitlin also discovered an issue in the local arts community. Bend has many talented artists, but they are all people who struggle with the same things we all struggle with; motivation and resources like time and money are two big ones.
Wanting to see Bend’s art scene continue to evolve with shows like the one she ran, Caitlin decided to begin the outreach herself, by just talking to local artists and trying to figure out how she could help everyone come together and celebrate their work. “I have been able to step in and take on the role of organizer for events like these, and that’s how I met Rachel.”
Rachel Lee-Carman is another artist working with Caitlin to bring together and organize house shows and similar events. For the past six months, Rachel has been working with Caitlin to bring more events to life, and to foster connection.
A recent event they hosted was called Entangle. Similar to the name Invisible Threads, Entangle had an underlying goal of connection, and bringing people together through a “threads of fate” like idea.
This show featured artists who have been challenged to create something new to present, share or perform. The goal was for each work to, in some way, represent connection and community. Each art exhibit or performance must also be interactive. “Everyone was immediately so onboard and stoked for this idea,” said Caitlin, echoing the sentiment that artists, when given the opportunity and the means, will often rise to the occasion to do something new, different and maybe even a little weird (in a good way). “It’s been so inspiring to see that initial spark of motivation take over and to watch artists just run with it.”
Seeing this inspired Caitlin to modify the mission of Invisible Thread. At first, the goal was to bring more house shows to Bend. Now, Caitlin sees Invisible Thread as an outlet for creativity and a way to cultivate connection among artists and creatives.
Entangle took place on September 13 and 14 from 12-10pm each day. A ticket included access to the collaborative and immersive work of more than 30 local artists, live performances and film screenings, as well as ongoing community installations fostering connection and community through art.