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Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’

It is a truly interesting interpretation of a beautiful act, an embrace. I’m impressed with the concept though I struggle to understand everything that I am seeing. But for some reason I don’t mind that struggle with this piece. Maybe it is the hands. They are beautifully rendered. The viewer reads into art and what I read into those hands are both gentleness and strength, love and sensuality, partnership.

I enjoyed watching people of all ages engaging with the piece and actually having conversation with each other and with strangers about it and the content of the surrounding 1965 Freedom Plaza. The memorial is located on the Boston Common, adjacent to the Parkman Bandstand, where Dr. King spoke in 1965.

Love it, hate it, neutral about it, or all the feelings that lie in the between spaces of those feelings, I think it is well worth a visit.

https://www.boston.gov/news/embrace-unveiled-boston

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A second attempt to grow borage. Nestled next to the tomato plants. Let’s see if it improves the flavor of the fruits.

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What a delight to attend the opening reception of the i3C exhibit at the gallery CAA@Canal. As stated in the press release of the Cambridge Art Association, “The Cambridge Art Association (CAA) is pleased to announce Inspiring Change for the Climate Crisis (i3C) at CAA @ Canal, a Members Curatorial Exhibit, curated by artist and scientist Adriana G. Prat and including artists from the i3C (inspiring Change for the Climate Crisis) group.”

“This exhibit is part of our new Members’ Curatorial Series, an annual opportunity for members of the CAA to curate an exhibit of three or more artists. The exhibit opens on April 3rd, kicking-off a one-year partnership with BioMed Realty, at a new gallery space, CAA @ Canal, located at 650 E. Kendall Street, in the heart of Kendall Square’s Canal District. The exhibit will remain on view through May 12th, 2023.”

Free and open to the public, the exhibit presents works by 21 artists exploring environmental themes. I am honored and humbled to be among the artists. I hope you have the opportunity to view these incredibly imaginative and passionate works. Also there are other associated activities including:

  • “Climate AND Change”: Virtual presentation from expert climate scientist Rachel Licker from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) – Thursday April 27th, 6-7 pm. This talk will review both the latest science on climate change and its causes and explore the interplay between individual actions and systemic changes that could get us where we need to be.
  • Virtual presentation from i3C Artist Yulia Shtern – Tuesday May 2nd, 6-7 pm. The talk covers the journey of materials through global recycling systems, exposing their structural deficiencies hidden from the public’s awareness. It also talks about international artists whose primary art-making medium is up-cycled materials, including some of the i3C artists.
  • Closing Reception: Fri May 12th, 5-7 pm – At the Gallery

Learn more: https://www.cambridgeart.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/650-E.-Kendall-Press-Release-i3C.docx-1.pdf

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… there are a number of plants that will soon need to be returned to the outside. They seemed to have enjoyed their winter stay.

In fact they thrived so well that I think I may need to hire the neighbor’s teenager to carry these down the stairs. They’re all a bit bigger than when I brought them indoors.

And I can’t help but think once they’re back outside what shall I place in the “empty” spaces left behind. Ah, what a wonderful problem. 🙂

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There is no description of Winter but somehow I assume Winter is female. She was likely from Angola or possibly Gambia. Many of the enslaved to South Carolina at this time were from those regions. The same is likely true for King, Dido, Bell, Judge, Coaster, York and the nine other individuals along with Winter who were bequeathed to Mary Cochran Smith by her husband James Smith of Charleston, South Carolina. If they were bought from a single “parcel” that is unclear. If they were named by the Smiths or by the captors who first enslaved them is unclear.

There is only so much one can glean from the newspaper advertisements.

Carpenter, Ajax, Hercules, Thunder, Drummer, Soldier and Sailor who together ran away from Royal Governor Boone were new to the Carolina colony, unable to speak English, but based on their names had some inherent skills.

Uriah Edwards placed ads for two months in The South Carolina Gazette seeking the return of his “new Negro girl named Juno about 14 or 15 years of age.” Did he reclaim his property after that time or did he simply stop placing advertisements?

Phebe was a thin spare woman when she ran away from Joseph Wragg. She’d lived in Charles Town aka Charleston since she was sixteen years old because the advertisement stated that she was 36 years old and was well known around town as a washer woman for the past twenty years.

Virtue ran away from Titus Bateman along with a two-year old child. I wonder the name the of the child.

Edward Morris threatened prosecution of anyone harboring his Negro boy Shadwell.

Peter Roberts sought the return of his Eboe man named Primus. And further along the page of the same 1735 newspaper, Joseph Wragg and Company, the trading enterprise of Joseph Wragg and his brother Samuel, advertised “To be sold on Wednesday the 2nd day of July next … a choice parcel of slaves, imported in the ship Dove, Richard Fothergill Commander, directly from Angola.” And if you switch to the Slave Voyages Database you can see that the Dove commanded by Fothergill boarded 290 enslaved Africans of whom 248 survived for sale in Charleston.

When did these 248 people receive their new names?

The South-Carolina Gazette a few months later reported held in jail awaiting return to their enslavers two men both named Primus, a boy named Cesar and an Ebo girl who could not speak English and therefore had no known name. And in that same paper an ad reads “to be sold on the 24th of September a parcel of choice Negroes imported in the Happy Couple … Hill Master directly from the coast of Guiney by Jos. Wragg and Co.” The database shows that ship commanded by Captain Hill disembarked 141 souls.

London merchants Joseph and Samuel Wragg were the largest slave traders in Charleston during the early 1700s. They sat on various Royal councils. They did so well in promoting emigration to the new colony that they and later some of their descendants were granted tens of thousands of acres of land. During the 1730s 20,000 slaves were imported to Charleston, SC, most from Angola and more than a third brought in by Joseph Wragg and Company.

As recorded in transcribed Great Britain Colonial Records, in a report for the King of England about the numbers of enslaved Africans imported to the Carolina Colony at Charleston between May 30, 1721 to September 29, 1726, in July the ship Ruby docked with 112 people on board. Of that number Joseph Wragg received 24 men and women and 3 boys and girls. In September the ship Cape Coast disembarked 126 with Wragg receiving 112 men and women and 3 boys and girls. Other local trading houses received the rest. The South Carolina Gazette was started in 1732 I believe so I can find no newspaper advertisements about how these men, women and children were sold.

Or what names were thrust upon them.

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On view until February 25th, don’t miss the opportunity to experience the i3c Group Artists Exhibit, Inspiring Change for the Climate Crisis, at Brickbottom Gallery Somerville. A truly inspiring exhibit. During the opening reception my favorite part, aside from connecting and reconnecting with artist friends, was watching children engage with the range of media, from fiber arts to photography to paintings and more. https://brickbottom.org/exhibitions-current-upcoming/

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The first set of hand-sawn and sanded cedar hooks ready for giving.

“It’s not my best work, ” he said with a dispirited note.

“Hmm,” I replied. “And what have you said to me over the years when I stress about writing the best?”

After a long pause he said, “The best is the enemy of the good.”

“Well, my dear, what you have produced is good. AND I can’t wait to see the next set.”

His brow furrowed. “The next set?”

Today we worked on the next set. He directed me.

“Pull the saw toward you.” “Please move your fingers out of the way.” “Hmm. Let’s try the straight saw not the fret saw.”

And so on and so forth.

He worked with his pocket knife to clean up an edge on a piece. And as he worked he said, “For the next project we’ll need a chisel. Between 3/4″ and 1″ and …”

I took notes.

The chisel and other instruments are in the basement. He can’t navigate down those stairs yet so I continue to learn as I apprentice as a woodworker.

“And we’ll need to make a leg vise,” he added.

“But of course,” I said. Then I took a deep breath and asked, “Okay, what does a leg vise do?”

And as he explained all I could think was what an unexpected and unexpectedly lovely journey!

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… then bring the mountain or at least a portion of it to you. “Do what you love.” That is what the outpatient therapists reiterate to Steve as we continue on this journey of stroke recovery. One of the things he loves is woodworking, old school craftsmanship. Think The Woodwright Shop. His woodworking shop is in the basement. Hmmm. We’re not quite there yet because yes, it is another spiral stair, but his therapy team said if you love woodworking then do woodworking, figure out some simple projects and go to it. I asked Steve what would you like to do. He said, “Make cutting boards.” Now I’m not a woodworker but I’ve seen him make cutting boards and I responded after a deep breath, “Uhm, do you think there’s something even simpler to begin with? You know you have some cedar panels from a previous project. I can bring them up here. You were supposed to make me some moth repellant hangers for the closets …” He processed it and said, “Okay, we can do that. I need the Jorgenson clamp.” I blinked a few times and then said, “Well, of course,” as I slid my phone out of my pocket to google what that meant. But what I didn’t remember was “old school” and so in the end he had to sketch what he meant and if you google what he meant it falls under beautiful wooden vintage. And so on this journey I’m learning new language (fret saw?!) and new skills (how to make a straight cut). He’s got a goal. He’s making a bunch of very practical (and oh so wonderfully smelling) cedar hooks to give to family and friends for their closets. Life is so interesting. 🙂

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