My studio is in boxes and in two days we move .
Time to rewrite my intro as I’ll be swapping my Lake/Seattle view for twice as much studio space and more of a plateau,mountains and on a good day volcano.
I know my art will probably take a turn too as I’ll be able to work in the garden for the first time in four years.We have the coldest June for over 20 yrs and I’m tempted just to jump straight in a plant some of the things I have in pots.
Looking forward to putting down proper roots-literally.
So today was tactile art day.
As ever a fun time sharing and exploring.
I have been helping out with the installation of African American quilts at my local museum and this inspired one of our projects today.I really wanted to encourage the group to focus on different media and their application to surfaces.The thing that I took away from the year studying fiber arts is the surface really does matter.How we use that surface as artist gives us an infinite voice and place for expression.
We also took a stroll to the class installation.Four blocks ,three guide dogs and eight artists enjoyed a verbally described and tactile tour.
We also discuss ART the project to be installed at a Seattle housing project.We are planning the biggest braille installation in the world.Now that will be a challenge and a great image to share.
Artist Statement
I feel we are all the sum of our experiences; some moments are more inspirational than others.
In creating “Up” I am seeking to explore a visual and tactile representation of the children’s rights charter. The charter was ratified by the United Nations in 1989 on the 30th anniversary, in 2009, of its publication. Yet there are still inequalities throughout the world. This installation seeks to support a dialogue around the impact of embracing this document.
Prior to my arrival in the Bellevue area in 2008 I was a pediatric nurse/teacher in Oxford, England. In 2002 I was a member of a partnership project between Save the Children Fund and the local health care providers around the implementation of children’s rights. The goal of this partnership was to focus on complex health care needs in multi-agency settings.
In April 2011 I had the privilege of being the sighted guide for two visually impaired friends as we visited the Gates Foundation first open house. The foundation has donated more than $16 billion in grants intended to ensure that all people have the opportunity to live healthy, productive lives.
This visit led me to reflect back to the partnership that was geared around working for children’s rights – the conceptually seeds for this installation were sewn.
Through experience of volunteering at Bellevue Art Museum as a docent I lived with the exhibits researching, sharing and celebrating artist’s creations. A piece titled “United States of North America” by Erika Harrsch was a component of the exhibition “Travelers:Objects of Dream and Revelation.” It created an installation of a passport office this gave me a place to muse, create early drawings, concepts while holding the role of a fictitious passport official.
My hope by creating this installation is to develop a space that is accessible for people to discuss how children’s rights can be implemented throughout the world.
I had never thought about how this would look from the side and like it !
