Our Story
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You can't talk about East Jesus without first talking about Charles Stephen Russell. Here was a man who had it all: education, insight, wisdom, charisma, potential, and he took it out to the desert with him to pursue a dream. a desire to get away, to experience freedom, to live on his own terms, to pursue his art and music away from conformity and critics, to be free.
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In the short time he was here he accomplished that and more. He cleaned up a literal garbage dump and turned it into a sculpture garden and zen center. He encouraged other like-minded individuals to visit and take their hand at building East Jesus, to entertain their dreams and visions as works of art, whether sculpture, music, photography, storytelling, or more esoteric genres like fire, nudity, and shotguns. He allowed artists a place to show their work within Nature's own splendor, back-lit by vivid sunsets. He and his friends built a home that still welcomes new visitors with a hug.
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This was and is a haven for other artists to get away, to get lost, and to create beauty out of garbage and nothingness. Wedged between the Chocolate Mountain Gunnery Range and the Salton Sea in southern California's exotic Imperial Valley, East Jesus is an experimental, comprehensive habitat of artwork comprising architecture, common-sense environmentalism, desert survival and sculpture/assemblage art using predominantly recycled, re-purposed or discarded materials, turning the unwanted and ugly into the purposefully beautiful.
The Impact
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This habitable experiment for artistic freedom is built around the
use of natural resources. One of those resources is the sun and the
power it supplies. We can recycle and reuse only so much of humanity's
garbage but the loss of converting this one resource into energy will
pull out a major cornerstone in our efforts.
What We Need & What You Get
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Charlie designed and pieced together a 24 cell, 48 volt
energy system located in the middle of an inhospitable desert, a
$100,000 energy system in need of a $3000 cog tooth (plus installations fees, and other related expenses). With the
container unit, solar panels, wiring, mechanics, electronic controls,
batteries, etc. Charlie made a substantial leap at providing for a
necessity: electricity.
We currently have 23 massive batteries for holding power in a system
designed for 24. That one missing tooth is causing our gear ratio to
slip and will spell doom for the future of East Jesus and Charlie's
dream.
So what do you get for your donation? An opportunity to share in East Jesus's future!
Snowbird: $5Contributors get sent a link to a video of everyone at East Jesus giving
a group "BIG thank you from the desert!" for their donation.
Honorary Slabber: $10
This perk includes the thank you above plus a
Church of the Chocolate Martini bumper sticker.
Honorable Slabber: $20
Everything mentioned above plus the adoption of one of the infamous duck decoys in Sculpture Garden.
East Disciple: $50
The East Disciple perks include:
- Your name included on art work affixed to the Tower of Barbarella.
- A Church of the Chocolate Martini bumper sticker.
- An East Jesus T-shirt!
East Apostle: $100
Contributors get everything above plus:
A weekend retreat at East Jesus for two! This rare opportunity includes accommodations in our less than luxurious suites, meals, entertainment, use of the Clothing Optional Gun Range, a personal tour of the Art Garden and behind the estate scenes, information and directions to surrounding area attractions. This opportunity is fully transferable to friends and family, and makes for a extremely unique gift!
* Certain date restrictions apply. See below for details.
East Jesuit: $250
A weekend retreat at East Jesus for two during
either our New Year's Eve Weekend (December 28th-1st, 2012)
OR our Birthday Bash Weekend (March 23rd-25th, 2012)! This package includes everything $100 donators get, plus a champagne toast and a group trip to the Slab City hot springs, as well as getting to bear witness to one of our two wildest parties of the year!
This opportunity is fully transferable to people you think are cool, so don't be afraid to give it to a friend!
Cinnabar Circle: $500
A weekend at East Jesus for a group (10-12 people)! This package gives you everything $5-$20 donators get, plus an amazing weekend that includes all the perks and tours $100 donators receive, but now for you and your friends!
* Certain date restrictions apply. See below for details.
Charlie's Angels: $1000
A weekend at East Jesus for a group (10-12 people) during
either our New Year's Eve Weekend (December 28th-1st, 2012)
OR our Birthday Bash Weekend (March 23rd-25th, 2012)! This package gives you everything $5-$20 donators get, plus an amazing weekend that includes all the perks and tours $100 donators receive, but now for you and a group of your friends! This includes a champagne toast and a group trip to the Slab City hot springs. This is your opportunity to be in a party so intense you'll want to get a tattoo to remember it!
* Date restrictions (Applies to $100 & $500 donators only):Exclusion dates include New Year's Eve Weekend (December 28th-1st,
2012), Birthday Bash Weekend (March 23rd-25th, 2012), and is not
recommended during the hotter months of the year due to the extremely
high temperatures of the desert during this season. Please plan your
reservation accordingly, and let us know if you have any questions!
Other Ways You Can Help
Flat broke or don't have the means to donate directly to our campaign? Don't despair! You can help us reach our campaign goal by telling your friends about us, showing others our website (http://eastjesus.org), and using the sharing tools on this page to let others know about this project on various social media networks! Helping us spread the word will help others discover more about what we're doing with the East Jesus artist space, and encourage others to donate towards keeping us going!
