"How Far From Home Are We?" Photos and update!

There is something magical about having a vision of something for a long time and then coaxing and birthing this vision into reality. This is how I felt with the recent collaborative exhibition, "How Far From Home Are We?" that has been/will be installed for the month of April at the Harwood Arts Center in Albuquerque. The process of bringing this show into the world was more magical because it was all done with my project collaborators Anna and Becky in the UK. The show took shape over the course of months through flurries of emails, reports and reponses. And then I manifested our vision at the Harwood with the indispensable help of my husband Chris and my friend Aimee Deans. It all started over two years ago when I applied to have a show of "How Far From Home Are We?" at the Harwood Art Center in 2009. At the time, Chris and I were still in New Zealand and the dates for the show seemed far off. And they got moved from that fall to the next fall and then to the Spring of 2011. So this show was a long time coming and it is wonderful to see the vision and the many experiences of the journey that the show comes from in a new form at the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque!

Peruse images of the show and opening here.

Listen an excerpt or the entire Radio Journey here! (It was broadcast on Sound Art Radio in the UK and on KRZA radio Alamos-Taos during the exhibition.)

Check out images of my "Sounds Surround Workshop" here.

Read about the exhibition in the Taos News here.

The project website is howfarfromhomearewe.com We'd love to have your feedback on the show!!

18 Days Opening - wow!

The 18 Days opening was absolutely packed with art enthusiasts, both exhibitors and the general public. As we drove up to the CCA, I found myself wondering if there was a big event happening at the nearby church or the Children's museum (there were cars overflowing out of the parking lots onto the shoulders of Old Pecos Trail). All too soon, as we tried to find a parking place at the CCA, we discovered it was all for the 18 Days opening reception. The work was varied and interesting with a wide variety of subject matter encompassed mostly by painting, prints, and drawing but also by photography, fiber, video, installation, welding, and "upcycled" fashion. All work was mounted on the wall, except for a select 3-4 piece,s which were suspended from the high ceiling.

My piece is tucked on the west end of a free-standing wall near the back of the gallery.

My favorite aspect of the opening (besides getting to talk with lovely people of course!) was having the opportunity to observe people to peering at my piece, leaning in close to examine its many small squares stitched together.

If you're in the Santa Fe area before March 20th, I recommend a visit. It is a show worth seeing and not just because my piece made the cut!

Click here for a little promo article from the Santa Fe Reporter.

Recycled Art Workshops at the Harwood!

For the past 3 weekends, I team-taught 3 Recycled Art Workshops at the Harwood Museum of Art with Taos artist, activist and educator, Sienna Sanderson.  It was wonderful to work with Siena and I loved the opportunity to provide a creative outlet for kids and families to create art using repurposed and recycled materials. The Taos News did a little feature on the project as well. You can read it here.

Sienna and I chose the theme of “nature in spring” with a focus on birds, flowers and bugs. Each week we had a particular focus with creating birds, then bird housing (bird houses and nests both bird-sized and kid-sized) and then food (bugs, caterpillars, slugs and snakes) for the birds along with lots of lowers, eggs and other inspired creations from participants’ imagination.

In the installation we chose to bridge the indoor and outdoor museum spaces by installing work both out of doors and inside the education installation area. For me the most exciting aspect of the workshops was witnessing and participating in the transformation of what would usually be considered "junk" into creative innovative, and beautiful birds, birdhouses, eggs, bugs and other creations. One of my favorites was the "bird nest hat" above made by Ewan from an unknown rubber ring, wire and a piece of badminton

The creations from the workshops are installed in the Education exhibition area of the Harwood Museum on Ledoux St. in Taos through the end of May 2010. If you have the chance to stop by, do it! You won't be disappointed!

We hope to be offering more opportunities to participate in other recycled art adventures at the Harwood! Visit the Harwood online at http://www.harwoodmuseum.org/

Also - I am mulling over some ideas for offering some recycled art workshops out of my studio this summer. I'll keep you posted on that as well.....

Wetlands in the Desert Project Blog.....

The posts have been thin on the ground here of late. However I have been chronicling a new project, "Wetlands in the Desert" at www.wetlandsinthedesert.blogspot.com. The focus of the project is a wetlands not far from my home. I am monitoring it, interacting with it and allowing it to drive my arts practice for a year.

Check it out, let me know what you think, get in touch, share an idea for the project or come with me for a walk in the wetlands.