Johnny stretches over to a piled bench in the back of the shop and returns with a bow, handing it to Don as he surveys his new fiddle, spinning it with the fingers of his right hand, the base of the instrument resting in the palm of his left. He gingerly retrieves the bow from Ryster, bringing the fiddle to his chin, the bow hovering above the strings...

The same pull that draws you to a natural arch is what brings you to ambient music. It comes as no surprise that this music has flourished here in the Ohio Valley. It is the music of deeply thoughtful people, whose minds and bodies have roamed countless hours.

“I would trouble the idea that artists need institutions. I think it’s the other way around. I think institutions need artists. They don’t have anything without us,” she said to a rousing cheer from the audience.

I had enjoyed watching the show as I’m sure it enjoyed watching me. I can imagine a similar relationship between the past and present. Our history creating our moment, and our moment informing our history, both relishing in the control they have over the other. A staring contest where everyone can win if no one blinks.

I step into the clear, caustic night and realize that’s what this whole event has been: a dispatch from some place of harmony we all sense but struggle so mightily to attain.

No Comply may be in retirement, but its spirit will keep moving through the city in the people who built it and the crowds who gathered for it. Thank you to each and every one of the organizers and for everyone who helped make it possible.

Working with what is likely the smallest spending pool in the region, House of Anguish sculpts in cobweb and bone a model for populist, public art. With experiential arts spaces, or selfie museums as derided, pumping blood into the contemporary gallery scene, the haunted house remains a silent type-O donor.

In Louisville’s Germantown, Bash At The Bar unites wrestlers, musicians, and costumed chaos in a loud, theatrical celebration. From $10 chops to OVW legends, the night blurs performance art and sport, proving that the most memorable experiences happen face-to-face, not through a screen.