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About 10 years ago I made a mistake I have regretted to this day. I turned down a minimum wage paying job working for Tony Caponi.<\/p>\n
Anthony Caponi<\/a>\u00a0was an artist. \u00a0He passed away this last fall 2015. \u00a0He was in his 90’s, humble, and accomplished. \u00a0As an Italian immigrant who was a boy under Mussolini, and a veteran of the United States military; an art chair\u00a0at Macalaster College \u00a0— and an accomplished sculptor. \u00a0His underlying theme was nature, but\u00a0nature beyond the material and if you go to the Caponi Art Park<\/a>\u00a0 you will experience much of his vision and spirituality.<\/p>\n Around 2005 \u00a0my sister was working in a promoter capacity at the Caponi Art Park. \u00a0She is in art business and works mostly for non-profits and independent artists. \u00a0So, with that, I was one of her main go-to volunteers for manual labor for the events at the park. \u00a0Moving chairs, tables, setting up the sound for plays, the electric, drinks, parking. \u00a0All that. \u00a0And during this time I got to meet Tony Caponi and make his sculpture part of my time in his park. \u00a0His works are built into the landscape.<\/p>\n I really liked volunteering there. \u00a0I got to see a lot of wonderful shows, like Shakespeare in the Park performances, avant-garde music, children’s activities and Elizabethan Festivals. \u00a0I learned that you do NOT call Elizabethans “Renaissance” people or they will get very angry at you. \u00a0I learned how to operate golf carts in strange landscapes. \u00a0And I continue to go to some of their\u00a0events in Eagan, Minnesota making the 2 hour drive from Eau Claire these days since I moved from St. Paul.<\/p>\n During this time I was transforming my business, when\u00a0my sister said Tony needed help. \u00a0It would have been working closely under his direction driving a bobcat, using my muscles and helping him build his craft. The decision weighed heavily on me because I needed some cash flow, but the art helper job\u00a0paid very little, and I also needed time for my business and software. \u00a0But I knew I was passing a good chance up. \u00a0In the end I said no with many, many regrets.<\/p>\n Imagine from a design aspect what I could have learned from a famous, established artist. \u00a0And from working with such a great man with great vision, in an organization with great people like his wife and my sister. \u00a0In this video you can see a bit of what he accomplished.<\/p>\n