UNCA’s Art Activism Expo
Spoke at UNCA about the relationship of my work to activism. Poet, Alli Marshall, wrote an article about my work. We were surprised when the Asheville weekly, “Mountain Express” featured one of my photos on the cover of the newspaper. I got a chance to meet new people from the community.
Women’s March in Asheville January 21, 2017
On January 21st, I went with Kimberly to the Women’s March here in Asheville. People gathered slowly. I had heard a lot of women say they were not going because they were afraid it might become violent. So we were really surprised when large crowds seemed to materialize out of thin air.
The Miracle of Transforming Hate: An Artist’s Book
Transforming Hate: An Artist’s Book, was completed this year, eight years after it was started. We did not know if it was possible, but in March we pushed to get a few copies ready for an April PHOTO+CRAFT presentation. Entitled “Making and Meaning: Photobooks and the Social Fabric”, this Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center panel with Alejandro Cartagena, was one of thirteen events organized by Warren Wilson College here in Asheville.
The Transforming Hate Artist Book Path Part#1
The “Transforming Hate” book was published recently. The working title was “The Proposal” almost right up until it went on the press. The work on the book evolved over an eight-year period. I want to share some of the steps that I took in order to make the book. I’m hoping that in the process I can see more clearly why a price of $50 for the book does not begin to cover the cost of producing it.
Martin Luther King Day
I marched for Paul Robeson, Emmett, Rosa and the domestic workers in Montgomery who walked to their jobs on aching feet rather than ride segregated buses; for Medgar Evers, the WWII veteran killed after applying for entrance to university in his home state of Mississippi; for my mom who could not make the walk; and for the unborn child I carried.
Figs and Chestnuts: Fall Transitions
Summer has ended, the garden is not a pretty picture but birds love the sunflower seeds and bees love the holy basil (tulsi) plants, which we dry out for tea. By now though, most of the birds that I listen to during spring and summer mornings have headed south. I will miss their calls and conversations.
Crickets in the morning and Cicadas at night
The things that I’m finding solace in—that have become nurturing for me—seem so trivial and mundane in the face of all the news. I don’t feel immune to any of the violence, the fighting, the anger, the fear, the taking of human life that is erupting all over the world. It’s just not what I want to talk or write about. I feel like my discussing violence and abuse won’t stop it from happening, yet we desperately need to talk.
The Great Smoky Mountains
I visited Western Carolina University with Kim yesterday. It takes about an hour to get to Cullowhee from Asheville. While she was in class, I settled myself in the lobby to sit, write, and to read my Sunday New York Times. I was sitting in a glass fronted multi-story building where I had a perfect view of the Smoky Mountains. While the place felt isolated, it was a beautiful.
Letterpress Bootcamp: Penland Workshop
John Horn, a Master Printer, ran his own print shop for over 50 years. I wanted to know how he handled type and the presses, and how his creative process worked. His poster, “Souls Dwell in Printer’s Type,” speaks to this relationship.