Room13 Creative Studios Grow in North America

In summer of 2011, Thomas Coston, President of Light Bringer Project, was appointed to the Room13 International Board of Trustees. Light Bringer Project now serves as a a communications conduit for people who want to start new Room13's in the North American region. We listen, offer advise and share information from our own practice, and that which we learned from the originators of Room13 in Coal, Scotland. Since 2008, and the opening of our first Room13’s here in Southern California, we regularly hear from individuals who want to know how to start one. There's Room13/Boone, in North Carolina, that is going strong, and Room13/Dillsboro, in Indiana, which officially opened this spring. Other unique Room13 studios are being considered in Tujunga, CA; New York City; Denver, Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Oaxaca, Mexico; Bentonville, Arkansas; and Mississauga, in Ontario, Canada. A recent exhibit in Pasadena’s Central Library is inspiring a Room13 start-up all the way in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This capital city has been known for its amazing artists and craftspeople, but we are told this is the eldest of the population. Room13 would provide the setting for the elders to share their creative practices with the youth, so traditions don't get lost. There are more than 90 Room13 creative studios, with youth at the helm, actively creating art all around the world.