Who is this man?

So who is this man? He's Dr Richard Liston, he has a PhD in Computer science and was once a professor at Ursinus College. You would think after securing a teaching position at an exclusive liberal arts college he would sink comfortably into the comfortable middle class lifestyle of a bourgeois intellectual. But no. Richard is one of those people who is always curious about what's beyond the horizon and asking what's next.

This became the beginning of the Sphere College Project.

As good as a college education can be, the question came up can it be improved? As colleges and families strain under the pressure to cover the expense of higher education, colleges are forced to be more like advanced trade schools then institutions of intellectual pursuit. Students are taught more and more on how to do things and gear themselves to employers needs -what gets lost is the ability to think.

It's difficult to quantify the ability to think. Thomas Edison is often quoted that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration; and many people ignore how much value Edison placed on that 1% of the process. Without that 1% inspiration, the spark of creativity, the actual thought launches an idea -the other 99% becomes mindless toil. Economists have talked about the rise of the "creative class" and how they the new engine of economic development.

Classes at Sphere are available for the intellectually curious and people who are interested in expanding their horizons.

Local Sphere is at 12 North Main Street in Phoenixville PA. In the front half of this commercial space is an artist gallery where local artist can rent space at a fair price. Behind that is space for classes.

I had a friend who always said "luckier than a three legged dog" . Never knew quite what he what meant by that but one of the neighbors brought over his beloved pet and rescue dog to the grand opening of Local Sphere. I think she was a good omen as well as a really friendly dog.

Several artists already display and have sold their works at Local Sphere.

They also have music, spoken word artists and other events at Local Sphere. Visit in person or go to their website for news on future events.

Phoenixville is a former steel mill town in the outer suburbs of Philadelphia. Like other industrial towns in Pennsylvania, when the big factories closed the community went into a economic and social tail spin. Phoenixille successfully reinvented itself and is doing well. Later on I would like to write how Phoenixville rose from its own ashes as other similar towns nearby did not.

Not all the art is serious and really what is life without a little whimsy.










Local Sphere distributes the Phoen-Zine (pronounced like fiend - zine). It a handmade throw back to the days of the underground comix movement. Yeah it's very retro but I like to read things where I don't have to link-up, log-in or turn-on anything to enjoy it. You can check out Phoenzine on facebook.