The art shanty projects

I only briefly made mention in my last post about the terrific project I've been working on this past few weeks but I think it's time to elaborate. The Art Shanty Projects began as a way to enjoy the cold and the ice with art. Now in its 7th year, ASP has come to stand as my beacon of hope against the frigid Minnesota winters.

When I moved here 3 years ago, my friend Stephen dragged me out on the ice one weekend. I begrudgingly went, not comprehending why being cold was cool. Warm shanties greeted me with art activities to take part in and observe. From origami to knitting, to sending post cards from the lake, each shanty had unique offerings all in the name of art and ice. Winters were no longer evil and dreaded if ASP were around.

I knew I had to be part of it. 3 years later, the Library Shanty stands, a labor of love between myself and 4 other collaborators. We sought to create a space where visitors could relax with a book, get warm, and take part in the process of archive and documentation that books offer.

We are a reference library--no books leave the ice. A warm, cozy reading loft awaits visitors ready to spend some time with a story. The loft has been a favorite amongst the kids and librarians.

Each weekend we offer different programming. Make a library card, book art, music to words, conversations on archiving and documentation, the future of the book.

There's a whole other something happening on the ice too. To be continued.

2010:

-so fresh and so clean. Done with those aughts, I say. On to our pimply, awkward teens.
-Art Shanty Projects: www.artshantyprojects.org and www.facebook.com/medicinelakebranch Check it. So fun. So good.
-Working multiple jobs, but much less hours and more studio time.
-Teaching a lot. So fun. So great.

"Don't worry baby, it's all liminal".

worn/torn

I'm hefting a lot of baggage this week. Here to there. Start to finish. Go to stop.

My classes come to a close this week and in lieu of a formal final exam/critique, I am hosting a last meal at the West Bank Social Center. I have asked my students to imagine their last meals and to invent two sets of place settings for the occasion. This Thursday we will sit down and toast our last meals together, celebrating the intersection of food and art, the end of a long grueling semester, and our lives which fortunately for us are not at an end but a beginning, a midpoint, or an end we just have yet to know.

I was in a show this past weekend. The curator asked us to assemble works within a week, a concept rather foreign to me as I tend to pour over projects for months. It was rather refreshing and the images from that installation will be up on the website soon.

Ends, lots of endings this week. Lots of beginnings as well. Appropo.

Check out this inspiring sailor: www.jessicawatson.com.au She is amazing.

I've tasted the sour which allows me to appreciate the sweet.

For reasons of which I will only briefly elaborate, I am drawn to images of disaster and loss. This link caught my eye on one of my favorite blogs, Space Invading: http://www.spaceinvading.com/entry/project_id/Pollution_in_China200910231256314791

There's something about human nature that is revealed within the photographs that grabs my attention the most. Pollution, what I think is our biggest human error, is revealed as an upsetting sort of beauty.

It is human, I think to strive for progress, creating situations that create photographs that create such dichotomies.

Paying Attention

I got stuck in front of a very slow moving train today. I got a little caught up in the excitement of living in a new region as I saw the cars go by, particularly this giant round one with a huge piece of graf on the side...Other cars clued me in to the train having been to Canada. I never saw Canadian rail cars in Ohio and noticing them, observing them and their subtle intricacies reminded me how new the Upper Midwest still is for me. While I've been here over 3 years, being out of school affords more focus and attention on my environment. Alberta Rail Cars: while I don't know your proper name, I appreciate the two languages on your side, the creeping abstracted wheat pattern, and the super outdated font. Thank you.

There's exciting news to post. Of course. But in lieu of ranting about what's going on with me, I'll rant about what's going on with my city.

My city is confused, that's what. We've had two days of snow. The first day was sort of exciting. Today just freaked me out. It was snowing thick full flakes while the ground was still warm and green. Two very different opinions at war with one another. And we are all stuck in the middle. I felt very torn today. Not wanting to express an opinion really, just wanting to experience when winter imposed itself upon fall. This is what I observed: Skeleton stick-on window decalse next to snow-covered faux furs. Icy melting sidewalks and driveways. Blue peaks covered in wintry grey clouds. Seat warmers. Hot mochas. Heavy jackets. Bikes not yet winterized.

Just conflicted today. Very conflicted. I fear that fall might fall in a withered defeat, giving in to the flash freeze and revealing more fallen green than red, orange, or yellow. But that is fall. My first snowfall Fall.

In other news, I'm shopping for a superb travel mug and a seam ripper and taking suggestions on both....

not what?

Check this out. Neato.