Gratitude & Mindfulness

Over the last couple months, I have experienced many things to be grateful for. Here are two of the highlights from the art world:

BIG thanks to all of you that contributed to the Shared Artifacts project! I received artifacts from family, current friends, and new friends (those who shared with me without knowing me—thanks!). There was such a range of contributions from everyday throw-away items to mentally hard to throw-away items to very sentimental items. The challenge is to honor them all, keeping in mind the spirit with which they were given- whew! To help me with this, I have a studio assistant, Rachel Henkels, who placed the items into categories she conceived. I consider her help as yet another collaboration helping me see these items in another light, as art materials. Here is a small sampling of what I received.

To check out all the items donated and the various categories they were placed in, go to the Be a Part of the Art page!

I was also lucky enough to finish an artwork and be a part of the Face of Utah Sculpture exhibit at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. The show features a wide range of strong artwork from artists all of the state and I am honored to be among them. My artwork that is on display until August 30 is a steel armature with woven cloth remnants and soft plastic packaging. It is called Tempest.

MINDFULNESS
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So, I have been thinking a lot about why I started the Shared Artifacts project in the first place and the biggest reason has already (mostly) come to pass: TO CONNECT with others by getting a glimpse of their life through the things they are ready to discard and give to me.  The other reason is a little more secret, but probably not that secret to most who know me: TO CREATE ​AWARENESS. In fact, one friend of mine knows very well my crusade against overconsumption and waste and sent me this article which touches on facts about material production and consumption, specifically plastic materials, that I have thought about a great deal and has permeated my life and artwork for a long time.
One truth that even I don’t think about enough is that recycling will never be the cure to the problem of waste pollution; curbing production and consumption is really the “key.” Check out this quote: “Dr. Geyer cautioned that recycling was not a cure-all for global plastic pollution. He said the sole benefit of recycling was to reduce the amount of new plastic being produced, adding, 'We don’t understand very well the extent to which recycling reduces primary production.' The features that have made plastic so important in the global market are the same ones that make it such a pervasive pollutant: durability and resistance to degradation.”
I am reminded of how I have wanted to try living without any plastic for a given amount of time, but every time I think about doing it, I am stumped! So, rather than that, I would at least like to resolve to give up new plastic acquisitions for a time. After all, there are so many reusable objects made of plastic that I use everyday—toothbrushes, bags, even my clothing! I am certain this new resolve will be enough of a challenge... Thank goodness for farmers markets, glass, metal, and ceramics! I will report on my progress in future blogs.

BTW, has anyone ever read this book? Plastic Free: How I kicked the Habit and so Can you Please let me know if you have and what you thought of it. Intriguing indeed!
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Signing off with a potential chuckle! Thanks for reading! http://blog.nus.edu.sg/plasticworld/2016/09/29/plastic-comics-read-this-even-if-you-hate-the-blog/