The Second Floor

Dear PeaceNiche and T2F Community,

It’s been a little over a month since we wrote to you about T2F having to vacate its premises. A lot has happened since and we wanted to share some updates.

New Premises

The landlord’s notice has proved to be the blessing in disguise that journalist/film-maker/activist Beena Sarwar hoped for. An absolutely amazing individual, who would like to remain anonymous, has donated a space to PeaceNiche! The good news gets even better … we have a ground floor AND a first floor to call our own :)

T2F version 2.0 will be located in a building off Sunset Boulevard. It is very close to the current location and is easily accessible. The building is currently under construction and we hope to be able to move in by May/June 2009. We will also have a child-friendly space. Parents, rejoice :)

Current Premises

While we had originally said we would vacate by early February, we will be at the current venue until the first week of April 2009. Please do visit as often as you can, and tell your friends who still haven’t been there, to come and check out Asim Butt’s mural – that’s the one thing we can’t take with us. We will continue to hold regular events at the Khayaban-e-Ittehad location for the next few weeks, and as always, we’re open from noon to midnight, every day except Mondays. Do swing by …

T2F at the Shanaakht Festival

The Citizens’ Archive of Pakistan (CAP) is holding the Shanaakht Festival 2009 at the Karachi Arts Council from 8th – 12th April 2009 and we are delighted to announce a CAP/T2F collaboration. T2F will be located in the parking lot of the Arts Council for 5 days and we will host a range of exciting events in the evenings. Stay tuned for details closer to the time.

T2F at Nando’s

Nando’s has graciously offered us the first floor of their Clifton outlet for once-a-week events during the period that we are ‘homeless’. We will share schedules with you after the Shanaakht Festival.

Fundraising Events

We will be holding a series of events to raise funds for our shift and to seed our endowment fund. A set of 5 music events will be held at T2F throughout March, featuring a number of exciting, underground bands and an Open Mic Night. Watch for announcements. In fact, now is the time to sign-up for SMS alerts!

Two outdoor music fundraisers will feature Farid Ayaz and Abu Mohammad Qavvaal Party, the scions of the legendary Munshi Raziuddin, and Tina Sani. These events will be held on 21st March and 17th April 2009 at Indus Valley School. Please save the dates and tell all your friends.

New PeaceNiche Projects

Thanks to our anonymous donor, we now have the space to initiate new PeaceNiche projects. In addition to our regular event programming, we will be undertaking the following projects:

- Art and New Media Gallery
- Arts Education and Outreach
- Eastern Classical Music Classes and Listening Room
- Urdu Poetry Archival Project
- Counseling for Parents of Young Children
- PeaceNiche Publications

We need financial support to launch and sustain these projects and look forward to collaborating with like-minded organizations, patrons of the arts, and visionary individuals.

The Second Floor on the Ground Floor?

We’re officially switching to T2F :) Check out our modified logo!

In Gratitude …

We have been overwhelmed by the ownership people have taken for T2F. Articles in the press, blog posts, financial contributions, offers to help paint walls and shift furniture, technology services, fundraising, volunteering, moral support…

We know we are not alone, and together, we can deliver on the promise of a vibrant civil society in Pakistan. http://www.t2f.biz/in-gratitude

We look forward to seeing all of you at T2F version 1.0 until the end of March, then at the Arts Council, at Nando’s, and finally, at T2F version 2.0 by mid 2009.

In complete solidarity!
Sabeen and the PeaceNiche Board

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