An Artist's Update

A Warm Welcome to my friends and supporters

photo credit: Max Haynes

Fresh Eye Gallery in Minneapolis, MN 

IN THIS ISSUE

COMMUNITY-BASED ART

EXHIBITS (2)

ART IN MEDICAL CLINIC

RECAP (3)

VIRTUAL ARTS FEAST

TRAININGS (2)

TEACHING ARTIST (2)

Dear Friends,

With my word for the summer being COLLABORATION, I wanted to share, in this newsletter with you, 3 links and 1 video from these two exciting art-making experiences.

In the above picture, I've swapped out glasses for contacts and you can see the white straps of my swimsuit peeking out from my dress.  After making an appearance, I slipped away from the artist reception to swim across Lake Nokomis with my newly joined Open Swim Club.  Not sure how I would do with the distance, but holding on to the many years I spent swimming my way through difficult growing-up-years, I swam front crawl across the lake.  Keeping the huge orange blowup buoys to my right shoulder as I understood we were supposed to, I turned around and made my way easily back across the water when a young man on a kayak approached me.

"How are you doing, ma'am?"

"Great!" I said.  "I feel great!!"  

"Because you are WAY off course," he said.  "See those green buoys way over there?  That is where you're supposed to be."

He told me that due to COVID, the route was changed to a 1 mile triangle.  Wow.  It was no longer going to be just a simple back and forth swim.  This was going to take concentrated effort and focussed breathing to complete the course.    

Just weeks after that swim, I learned that Jes Reyes, the staff supporting the Avivo ArtWorks Collective--the person that helped guide, teach and encourage me onto the path of being an artist, would be leaving Avivo.  She had her last day on July 16th and I'm downhearted knowing that I am no longer on a simple back and forth "swim,"  but on an unexpected triangular route.  I see the distance and am "holding on to the many years I spent swimming my way through" to make it across this "lake" I am in.  Luckily, I love the water.

May we all have the needed energy and focussed breathing to complete our courses.

Wishing you well on yours.

Martha

Community-Based Art 

Hope Signs

July 14 - September 30, 2021

This spring 10 artists were selected to create art that expresses hope and resiliency for the Avivo Garden.  I was one of the lucky recipients and was provided with a yard sign and art supplies for this fun project.  My theme was Imagine/Re-imagine and I depicted polka dots on one side that melded into waves on the other.   These last 17 months have called for many adjustments with numerous changes in form. 

In person exhibit

Overcoming  

July 2 - August 31, 2021

(I have 2 self portraits in the show)

11 Avivo ArtWorks Collective members share 22 pieces of art that speak to the tenacity of navigating these challenging times.  

Location: Hennepin County Library--East Lake   

2727 E. Lake St. Minneapolis, MN            

Hours available here

Touring Exhibit: New Location

Create Connections  

July 29 - September 17, 2021

(a duet of pieces based onmy RBG-inspired sculpture) 

Natalia Pederson (left), Angélica Morales (middle), me (right)

RBG: One Step at a Time

Location: Ames Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue, Burnsville, MN

Gallery Hours: Wednesdays 12 - 6 pm, Saturdays 10 - 2 pm

Permanent Display

Glendale, California medical clinic

A large national healthcare provider selected Rebirth: Grandma’s Royal Copenhagen Blue Plates to be printed on a 24 x 30 inch canvas, placed in a floating frame and hung in an exam room.  When I go to the doctor, I always appreciate having a visual distraction in the office so it feels great knowing my art is providing that for someone else. 

Recap

Artist Talk: Rooted Reckonings

June 19, 2021

This 15 minute artist talk covers a variety of topics including the timing of the creation of these 2 sculptures which was during the trial of the first of four police officers involved in the Minneapolis 2020 police brutality case.

Recap

An insider's view of the Creative Process

If you missed this great event on June 19, 2021 see the 4 minute photo gallery of final sculptures or catch the full 2 1/2 hour event here.  Alternatively, you can watch my team's 5 minute presentation posted on my "Updates" website page.

The ExChange consisted of 88 women from 7 countries who became 27 collaborative teams.  I was part of Creative Confluence which consisted of a woodturner, a fiber artist and myself.

Recap

What a Fun Night!!

CollabArts Vol.3

July 10, 2021

7 minute Video below!!

Clicking the video above, will redirect you to the browser version of the newsletter, bringing you to the same image, which you'll need to click again.

Strategically matched together with dancer Shannon Hartle, our pairing resulted in a weaving demo and her dance-accompanied-by-my-voice performance. 

We drew inspiration from each other.  

This 6 week collaboration program, for 5 teams, was started to bring artists working in all different media together and to create new collaborative works. In 2021, we were encouraged to think "outside the box" as the culmination was an outdoor showcase rather than in a typical gallery space due to the continuing evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sarah Weiss (photographer) and Ayumi Shafer (DanceBARN Collective) have been spearheading the installation of this annual program.

See more photos of the event here.

If you are an artist in any medium, you might consider applying for a future year!

Members of the Americorps Community Technology Empowerment Project and the Minnesota Council on Disability came together to host a three day media arts festival. This festival brought together artists and media specialists from various disability communities throughout the Twin Cities metro area and connected communities, celebrated artists, and provided tools and resources for digital art creation.  I was honored to have a video of my work shared in the Exhibition section.  View the full festival here.

Completed Training

I am delighted to announce that I am now certified to lead and implement Springboard's Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists. This is an artist-designed, adaptable curriculum for teaching business skills for artists. 

Completed Training

Another exciting accomplishment for me was completing this national training on July 27, 2021 with Springboard for the Arts in partnership with the Center for Performance and Civic Practice.  Art-Train supports artists and organizations working together for culture-based, cross-sector community partnerships to rebuild civic and economic vitality, and reimagine more equitable systems.  It helps us build on our existing skills to collaborate in and with our communities to deepen our practices around creative problem solving, equitable community engagement, and arts-based strategies to address recovery efforts.  We learned ways to engage and influence the agencies and organizations that are eligible to receive and deploy American Rescue Plan block grants (allocated to every City, County, State and Tribal Territory in the US) to create programming that engages local artists in recovery.  

I can't wait to "follow the thread" and see where this leads me next!

Teaching Artist

Artsy Photography

July 7, 2021

Basic photography concepts along with a hands-on tutorial of how to use the camera feature on a tablet, was well received during this 2 hour class I taught to a group of enthusiastic learners from the Strobel Drop-In Center at Plymouth Congregational Church. Oohs and ahhs were heard as people discovered all they could do.  

In 2016, tears fell the first time I was invited to push the camera button that would take a photograph of my artwork.  I had a painful history with photography, so in 2016 I felt there was no way I could engage with it.  With the support of Jes Reyes at Avivo Artworks, I not only began clicking the shutter button, but have gone on to purchase professional camera equipment, lights and photo backdrop paper and now document all my own artwork!  So taking this opportunity to share what I've learned with others was a real win for me.       

Teaching Artist

Brigid's Cross: Symbol of Protection

July 11, 2021

above: Red Hot Art Festival, Overlook Garden

I was honored to be selected out of 12 applicants to teach a 2 hour basketry workshop!

The Steven Square Community Organization in Minneapolis transformed their annual festival from a two-day festival into a four-month experience of community and art.  In response to the murder of George Floyd, they are centering Black Lives Matter throughout this year's theme "Fabric of Humanity: 20th Anniversary of Red Hot Art."  They believe art plays a vital role in the strengthening and healing of a community and so hope to use their platform to promote healing, unity and build solidarity amongst neighbors.  I'm signed up to learn from other teaching artists on 8/8 (aluminum casting) and 9/26 (fabric plushies) and would love to have you join me for these FREE workshops.  RSVP required.

Thank you for interest and support!