'out beyond ...', my contribution to the Medicine Wheel's Day Without Art

'out beyond ...' acrylic on board, 2x2ft

This fall Michael Dowling put out a call for artist to create one of 1,000 panels to be exhibited during  Medicine Wheel's Day without Art and I jumped at the opportunity.  I have worked with Michael and Medicine Wheel on numerous occasions and each time has been a rewarding and inspiring experience,  as was the case with this time. 

The vigil starts tonight at 11:30pm at the BCA and continues for 24 hours. Here is more information about the event, a link to Medicine Wheel Productions as well as a link to donate to this important community.  And below that information is a bit about this painting as well as a visual documentation of the many stages that the painting went through.  Enjoy! 

Medicine Wheel Vigil 

Day Without Art

World AIDS Day 

Friday December 1, 2017

Boston Center for the Arts 

539 Tremont Street 

Boston, MA 02116 

Vigil begins at 11:30 pm on 

Thursday November 30th 

on the BCA Plaza 

and runs for the full 24 hours of Friday December 1st 

ending at Midnight. 

Gather at 11:30 for a processional walk into the Cyclorama Plaza! 

In 1987 a small group gathered in a San Francisco storefront to document the lives they feared history would forget. This action served as the beginning of the Names Project, also known as the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Today, 30 years later, over 1000 artists, visual and performing, have re-invested in the power of that action to create a space to hold the human heart, a space to reflect, a space to remember, a space to see who we can be for ourselves and one another. 

To honor this anniversary we will be displaying a large section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt during the vigil. 

Please bring an offering of remembrance to leave in one of the Medicine Wheel shrines. 

DONATE

World AIDS Day 

Friday December 1, 2017

Boston Center for the Arts 

539 Tremont Street 

Boston, MA 02116 

Vigil begins at 11:30 pm on 

Thursday November 30th 

on the BCA Plaza 

and runs for the full 24 hours of Friday December 1st 

ending at Midnight.

Now about 'out beyond ...' 

This Fall I saw this call for art,

" As we gear up for the 26th annual Medicine Wheel and the 29th Day Without Art/ World AIDS Day we are looking for 1000 artists to re-invest in the power of Art and Healing to create a space that holds the human condition. Please consider painting a 2 foot by 2 foot panel with the theme of AIR in the colors of the sky to be part a the 1000 voice mural at the Boston Center for the Arts December 1."

and I happily answered YES! 

With the theme of AIR and the colors of the sky I decided I would work in blues and revisit my ' intuitive line paintings' from my installation that I creates in 2009 with Medicine Wheel, 'this comes from within ...'  Painting the walls for that installation is one of my fondest creative moment memories!!

'wall detail' from 'this comes from within ...'

 I love how organic these method of painting is for me.  

This painting method is a true dialogue between me and the work, 

as you will see how this painting went through so many versions 

before the painting and I agreed it was finished.  

When I got the blank white 2x2 board I started out by painting in big letters,

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing"

Recently I am enamored with Rumi's poems and 

especially this line and the meaning of these words.

Once the words were painted, my journey began, shapes and objects appeared

and disappeared.  

in this photo you can still see a few of the lettering ...

at this point the lettering has vanished ...

now is the time with the subtle changes ... this can also be the most frustrating time
as I don't want to overwork the painting, but somethings still don't feel right

painting in my living room, my daughters are so patient with me :)

voila - the finished painting, waiting to head back to Medicine Wheel Productions

craftivism: is a form of activism that is centered on practices of craft/art

my contribution to @whatchidid's project  

Craftivism:  a form of activism, typically incorporating elements of anti-capitalism, environmentalism or third-wave feminism, that is centered on practices of craft - or what can traditionally be referred to as "domestic arts". Craftivism includes, but is not limited to, various forms of needlework. Craftivism is a social process of collective empowerment, action, expression and negotiation. In craftivism, engaging in the social, performative and critical discourse around the work is central to its production and dissemination. ^[1] Practitioners are known as craftivists. (definition from wikipedia.org)

I love the concept: craftivism, as it embodies two ideas that I feel passionate about: making my voice heard and making things.  So when I saw this project, "Draw the Line" by @Whatchidid I just HAD to participate ~ Embroidery and Women's rights.

photo: @whatchidid

photo: @whatchidid

Artist Chi Nguyen (@Whatchidid )—in partnership with the Textile Arts Center and the Center for Reproductive Rights—put a call out to anyone who wanted to participate:

The public is invited to Draw the Line by joining the embroidery process at the stitch-ins, or by sending in their own 10x10” swatches with as many tally marks (卌) as they would like to embroider. All swatches will be patched onto a larger quilt to be used at the Supreme Court rally on March 2nd, 2016. ** (she is continuing to add swatches after today so don't despair)

Many stitch-ins were hosted and swatches were sent from all over the world; as of yesterday @whatchidid stated that the quilt now represented 300,000 embroidered lines with submissions from 34 states and 6 countries and the project is still going.  Today the quilt stood outside the Supreme Court of the United States but @whatchidid is still collecting swatches, her aim is to have 

5.4 million lines to represent the 5.4 million women of reproductive age from accessing the healthcare they need. So if you are interested grab your needle and hoop.

I learned of the project while taking my daughter on a college tour via Amtrak, but luckily for me I always travel with a needle and embroidery hoop and floss (I always think I would do really well on the Monty Hall version of 'Let's make a Deal' (Monty) "Let's see what you have in your purse" , (me) "well I have a paint brush, glue stick, pliers, ... ) 

It has been really interesting to see the different swatches and different interpretations on these swatches while just using tally marks!! Below is more information, links to articles about the project and photos,  along with the link to Artist Chi Nguyen (@Whatchidid )'s web site where you can find all the information about how to participate.  

from Artist Chi Nguyen (@Whatchidid )'s website:

photo: @whatchidid

"On March 2nd, 2016, the United States Supreme Court will hear the most important reproductive rights case in almost 25 years. The decision will determine whether Texas can shut down nearly all abortion care providers in the state and prevent 5.4 million women of reproductive age from accessing the healthcare they need."

DrawtheLine.org where you can see pictures of many of the beautiful swatches.

from the article on MS.blog.com:

“Because this is a very public and collaborative project,” Nguyen says, “some might want to embroider one line and others might want to embroider all 5.4 million. I think that’s the beauty of it. When we surpass the original number, we ourselves become ‘and Counting.'”

from the article about the project on VICE.com:

This Artist Is Making a Giant Quilt to Represent 

the 5.4 Million Women Affected by Texas's Abortion Laws

How will the quilt function at the rally? 

I really wanted to use a quilt because it represents comfort, safety, and security, and the lack of access to abortion care and reproductive health care in general is anything but that. The quilt represents those things for me and also creates a sense of unity from supporters across the US who can send in swatches, which we will sew together. Right now, I have no idea how many swatches we will get by March 2. If we don't get enough, we will hold stitch-ins at the rally, but if we finish, we will use it as a banner. However, it won't just be a banner. It will also provide warmth.

where to find : CHI NGUYEN

website

twitter : @whatchidid

instagram : whatchidid

peace