Artists' Statements 2022 — Studios Without Walls

#1 Message in a Bottle

Janet Kawada and Bette Ann Libby
Glass bottles & screening

For centuries, bottles have been used for preservation and as vessels to carry thoughts and memories. They have the capacity to last much longer than we anticipate. Finding an unexpected relic of a bygone time gives the discoverer a moment to consider. WHO left it, WHAT was that person doing here and WHERE did they come from? Yearning for peace, love, a better future, frightened, hopeful, adventurous or all of the above. Did we welcome them? Maya Angelou states, "The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."

#2 This Apple-Shaped Earth

Linda Hoffman
Bronze

I once believed I was walking on the earth right-side-up and people on the other side of the world were upside- down . . .

I now contemplate the fragility of the earth, the loss of topsoil, the poisoning of our water and air . . .

I consider these lines from the great American poet, Walt Whitman.

The apple-shaped earth and we upon it,
surely the drift of them is something grand . . .

#3 Patterns

Stacy Latt Savage
Steel, wood

This sculpture rises from the ground and returns in the form of a Golden Spiral, derived from Divine Proportion. This enduring pattern is a building block of our existence and found throughout nature in such as growth patterns of flowers, shells, hair, the structures of bee colonies, hurricanes, and our inner ear, even the galaxies. Patterns embodies the cyclical nature of life, and the fact that we will repeat history despite all our best intentions. However challenging times may be, there is a comfort in knowing nothing remains the same and we exist in an ongoing ebb and flow. An accumulation of gingko leaves creates a swarm that represents all of us, in a dance of impermanence and inevitable change. The gingko is a symbol of peace, hope and vitality and the duality of yin and yang.

#4 Ties That Bind

Stacey Piwinski + Mihoko Wakabayashi
Shoelaces, yarn, string and other found objects

We were thinking about how we all manage to stay grounded during constantly changing and challenging times. The vision of having our feet on the ground and moving forward one step at a time brought us to the idea of gathering shoelaces, different colors, some worn and some newer. Collecting laces from the community, we worked together to weave them into this safety net of support for one another.

#5 FROM THE GROUND WE COME
ON THE GROUND WE PLAY
INTO THE GROUND WE RETURN

Gail Jerauld Bos + Ruth Rosner
Wood, plastic, rubber balls, metal objects on rods

Birth to death.life in between.
Earth keeps a record.what we do counts.
In spite of a rather dark statement we hope you find this installation amusing.
Balls moving gently in a breeze and the ridiculous jetsam carried about by humans.

#6 LOST and FOUND

Richard Dorff and Rachel Shatil
Discarded shoes, metal meshes, paint

As the "ground we walk" becomes shaky, unpredictable, dangerous, and characterized by loss, the piece provides us with a moment of solace and reflection. The tree invites us to join in its perspective, allowing us to lift ourselves, together with the memory of our loved ones, to a softer place, where we can rest, connect with our losses, and connect with ourselves, while laying peacefully in the cradle of our imagination.

#7 Pachamama Tree

Silvina Mizrahi
Plasma cut steel

Pachamama is the personification of Mother earth for indigenous people in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. They celebrate her with ceremonies and rituals. Like trees, we are bound to the ground, bound to the "Pachamama". Furthermore, trees are our most intimate contact with nature, a measure of Nature health, they are witness of our past and our present, and our legacy to the future; they share the ground with us, as they shared with our ancestors; they are a long living history. From trees we learn the essential: "to go deeper in our roots and in this way, be able to spread our wings to the sky". The installation directly on the tree intend to manifest the intimate relationship between humans and nature.

#8 Symbiosis

Rebecca McGee Tuck
Steel, crowd sourced single use plastic materials

Symbiosis- living together in intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms. A cooperative relationship. What do we all have in common? We walk on the Earth. The Earth beneath our feet is strong yet fragile. Mushrooms are an unlikely hero. They are our biggest natural recycler. They feed themselves by digesting organic matter then they return the nutrients to the soil. A beautiful circle of life. When thinking about our role and responsibility on this Earth, we must remember that our relationship should model the mushroom, with a mutual partnership and not that of a parasite. It is the duty of all of us to protect the ground we walk on. Please do your part in being like the mushroom- Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle things back into your life.

#9 Standing Still

Liz Helfer
Steel, wood, twine, digital photos

By standing still and scanning the "window" with their phones, viewers will see historic images of Riverway Park. Viewers will be able to compare the Riverway of today against the Riverway of the past. The installation invites stillness and contemplation of where we came from and how we have shaped the places we use every day.

#10 Max Bard

Wood & litter

Red Flag is a pictorial representation of the contemporary Massachusetts landscape. The sculpture is made entirely from wood and litter I collected from wild spaces throughout the commonwealth. The sculptures display the devastating impact pollution and climate change has on the environment. The garbage speaks to the massive problem of pollution. The species of timber used in the work all have historical and cultural significance to the state. The wood itself comes from trees mortally damaged from severe weather systems. From a biological perspective, the collection of of materials shows evidence of a beautiful world slowly dying. Anthropologically, it speaks of an inequitable society where the empathetic actions of many are eclipsed by a portion of people driven by greed, vanity, and arrogance.

#11 Tea Time

Maria Ritz
Steel, fiberglass mesh, plastic, vinyl and nylon.

The three pyramids are scaled up versions of "sophisticated" tea bags sold in specialty stores. While we may not think twice about the environmental impact of something as small as a tea bag made of plastic mesh, seeing our choices magnified allows us to consider their true scale. To that end, the giant tea bags represent the collective impact of thousands of small, seemingly inconsequential acts, and the ultimate effect they have on 'the ground we walk.'

#12 Johnny Appleseed Plants a Tree

Madeleine Lord created with Stephen Paulson
Carved oak, metal, clothing

John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, was born in Leominster Mass. He planted apple tree nurseries in land bordering rivers through the East to Midwest. He sold the apple tree saplings to orchardists to produce apple cider and vinegar. His mission in life was to "live for others" but also to walk the land, plant apple trees and preach. He was known for walking in bare feet and wearing his cooking pot on his head as a hat.

#13 Women Walking

The Time Project

Ten seasoned and established artists, all women, came together 13 years ago to create The Time Project. Thus began a rare and unique journey. We are painters, printmakers, sculptors, photographers, fiber artists, ceramicists, art book makers, beaders, video and filmmakers, and a composer/musician who is also a visual artist and published poet. We meet every month where we each share a piece of art/musical composition/writing. Our purpose is to support and challenge each other to work deeper and more experimentally. A powerful and remarkable variety of experimental directions and art objects, writings, and musical compositions have emerged that are, at times, personal reflections, memories, expressions of political and environmental concerns etc. Over the years a rare opportunities have emerged for each individual artist to share her unique creative process. Through feedback, encouragement, and cross-fertilization the group has evolved into a community, which has become deeply supportive, challenging, and continuous.

Our piece is an expression and celebration of the unique creative community created over many years. It is about deep connection in support of the creative spirit. We look forward to sharing with you.

#14 Night Owl

Sarah Alexander
Steel

With my steel sculptures I explored the feelings of living in an enchanted limbo as I grew too comfortable in my isolated routine, growing into my space as if I were turning into one of the wild overgrown plants in my garden. I explored the sensation of becoming emersed in my surroundings and being lost in thought. Night Owl was first displayed on the ground and as things became hopeful, I decided that it should be freed, take flight, and watch over us all.

#15 BLOSSOMS OF A THOUSAND DEATHS:
REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF GENOCIDE

Allen M. Spivack
Steel rod; artificial flowers; soil; cast hands

Consider The Ground We Walk- rich, verdant soil that nourishes trees, insects, and animals. It has a more sinister aspect too: soil as the repository of the 'grim cemeteries of unmarked graves' that contains the victims of genocide- the unworthy, unjust, unwanted, unsavory. Say their names:

American Slavery (1619-1865); Indigenous Peoples living in the USA (1619-2000); Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945); Holocaust against the Jews (1941-45); Cambodians (1975-79); Rwandans (1994); Armenians (1915-22); Difurans (2003-20); Guatemalans (1962-96); Australian Aborigines (1840-97); Myanmar Rohingyas (2017-22); Bosnians (1992-95); Ethiopian Tigray (2019-22); Ukraine (2022).

Blossoms of a Thousand Deaths remembers these victims of genocide by retrieving their memories from the soil that covers them. 'Soil holds history and holds loss and holds pain' (Karyn Olivier). The soil we tread holds memories of those disenfranchised, dispossessed, helpless souls. Remembering and reclaiming them is our sacred obligation.

DEDICATION: Raphael Lemkin-for naming genocide; Samantha Power-for pleading with world leaders to respond; Toshinori Kanaya-for teaching me about the atomic bomb and forgiveness.

#16 Beasts of Vine

Bob Shannahan
Steel rod,wire, alder,sumac

I was surprised to learn that mastodons lived in New England from two million to ten thousand years ago. Mammoths preferred grasslands, while mastodons preferred bogs and woodlands-not that different from today’s landscape. The ground they walked on is the ground we walk on.