Action

My action is my possession.
My action is my inheritance.
My action is the womb which bears me.
My action is my refuge

Old Buddhist Saying

Listen

Listen \Lis"ten\, v. To give close attention with the purpose of hearing; to give ear; to hearken; to attend.

In the margin of David Abram's Spell of the Sensuous (1996), I have written "I wonder what would happen if I stopped reading?" Or writing? Abram argues that the written word dislocates us from directly experiencing the natural world. Literate cultures, as opposed to oral cultures, experience a separation between humans and the rest of the universe, between mind and body and between space and time.

We are,he says, through the written word, able to reflexively abstract our existence which then enables us to discount and perpetrate against any other existence, including other humans. We have become a narcissistic and solipsistic species, tolerating only ourselves, our needs, and our creations. And at the same time we long for the "Promised Land"; a utopian return to wholeness and connection with our true selves.

Like a River 2006

Perhaps my desire to spend time in the deserts of the world come from a need to silence the cacophony of modern civilization in order that I might rediscover and be nourished by the voices of the natural world. But then I question this desire to go somewhere else; Central Australia or Death Valley.

Is it possible to rediscover the sacred wisdom of the land through participatory listening coupled with ritual response to a Place; a non literary dialogic practice that relocates the Self in proper relationship to a particular place?

Should I not listen to and find this place, here, where I live?

Vin

The Quilts of Gee's Bend

The Quilts of Gee's Bend at the de Young Museum in San Francisco
15 July 2006 —31 December 2006

The exhibition of quilts from this forgotten community with roots that reach deeply into American slavery evoke a rich interplay of emotions; unexpected rhythms of delight, grief, curiosity, shock and warm comfort. Springing from the basic human need for warmth, these quilts speak loudly of strength of spirit and community in the face of poverty. To call this work art is both an understatement and a commentary on temporary art audiences.

Hailed by The New York Times as "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced," the nationally acclaimed Gee’s Bend Quilt exhibition honors the aesthetics of women’s traditional craft. Indeed the work is visually stunning and is a creative departure from both traditional and most contemporary quilting aesthetics. On the other hand it is impossible to separate aesthetics from context. By bringing this work into the halls of High Culture are we not glorifying the poverty and oppression of African American Communities? Somehow, the dirt and stains of slavery become art when exhibited in the galleries of the stunning new de Young Museum.

The historical context is provided to viewers through photographs depicting the hard life of sharecroppers of the 1930’s, and audio and video recordings of the women singing spirituals as they quilt together. The stories of hardship survived through strength of spirit are directly evidenced in the worn ragged quilts. I could weep with compassion for a lifestyle so distant from my own experience of privilege and relative ease.

As an artist I’m inspired by the direct indication of women’s hands. These quilts do not aim for perfection. The ragged patching, bunched up seams, and irregular shapes exude a kind of homey comfort that only human touch can offer. I can imagine these quilts piled on tip of an old bed, heavy with the warmth and love of a God prayed through a woman’s hands as stitched.

I am inspired to allow my hand to show in my work; to allow the loose ends and rough edges to remain. But if I disjoin my aesthetics form my life my work is not art will remain superficial and lack depth of meaning. I fear seeing this testimony to human flourishing turned into a style or a fad designed for commercial profit. As contemporary artists allow the Quilts of Gee’s Bend to inform and influence their work I would advocate the deliberate action of prayer also be worked into our pieces and squares. Perhaps through our work we can acknowledge the frailty of our lives and the precariousness of human survival.

For us, on the outside, it is easy to focus on the aesthetic qualities of worn recycled fabrics and naïve technique so that we don’t have to think about the cause of poverty or feel the pain of racism that is at the core of this work. The Quilts of Gee’s Bend are the highest of art in that they combine the exquisite and authentic sense of design with the power and meaning of utilitarian craft, politics and spirituality.
Vin

Influence

Influence \In"flu*ence\, n. A flowing in or upon; influx. (dictionary.net)

“What and who has influenced your art?” “Well” I said, “I don’t look much at art. I draw from inner sources and create from a naïve perspective.” But this is a lie. I began to visit museums as a child growing up in Boston. I’ve lived a cultured life with the privilege of participating in art classes all the way through – eventually getting a Masters in Visual Art in 2005 at the age of 50.

I think this denial of influence comes from my personal need to rediscover my core, my origins and my connection to a “sensuous reality” (1996, Abram) , as opposed to a purely “man-made” reality. This quest has brought me to my internalized indigenous roots. This “original self”, although buried in my American cultural inheritance is accessible through the language of art. If I am lucky, a pre-literate expression sometimes emerges from the creative process. I deliberately work towards this state of being hoping that the traces of connection can be transmitted to others.
Becoming culturally naked. Vin







"Fertile Shield" 1994

Responsibility

Responsibility \Re*spon`si*bil"i*ty\ n.The state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable, as for a trust, debt, or obligation. (dictionary.net)

Nyunymanu:
Dingo dreaming place
Paddy Anatari’s country.

Old man squints between wrinkles
drawn into a smile in the broad red land.
Played as a child; walked every foot in its sand.

“You see that rock over there?”

(The top had been rubbed smooth and
flat soft, as if it were cut by a diamond, but
Its been done by another rock
cupped in hundreds of hands:
Increase site for birth of dingo pup)
And
Paddy Anatari strokes the rock again,

And again. He says.
“You see this rock?

This rock is me!”

(from Billy Marshal-Stoneking, (1990) “Paddy: A Poem for Land Rights,” in Singing the Snake: Poems from the Western Desert.)

I so acutely feel the loss of connection between me and my place. So much severing of time and ancestors has set met loose like a soap bubble rising on the thin air of my own breath.
I am a woman of the west;

Dissociated
Lost
Without a voice.

Vin


NOTE:
In the Aboriginal culture each individual has responsibility to a particular place and its associated being, stories, meanings, rituals and so on. This responsibility to the wisdom of that place is expressed through art, song, dance and story. It is an oral tradition. We are accountable to the sacredness of place. It is a responsibility to keep the world alive. We are inseparable from our place.


"Like a Rock"
Collage 2005

Sanity in the Mid East

Sanity \San"i*ty\, n. [L. sanitas, from sanus sound, healthy. (dictionary.net)

I weep when I listen to the news. The destruction in the Mid East horrific. As an artist what action can I take? A counter-action to the raveges of war. How can I make a difference? What matters? Where are we going? I can't imagine what it must be like to live in a war zone for generations. The psychological damage caused by prolonged truama has long lasting effects. The Trauma of war can not be erased by a cease fire or finacial aid, or by summits by the super powers.
What is the social responsibility of artists?
How can I stay sane in this insane world?
Vin

Intention

\In*ten"tion\, n.
A stretching or bending of the mind toward of the mind toward an object; closeness of application; fixedness of attention; earnestness. (dictionary.net)

I’d like to expand on the idea of an Artist Statement.
Actually I have lots of statements.
They change all the time.
And what good is a statement if its just a proclamation?
I think that Art and our feelings and thoughts about it are best explored in a conversation between the artist, the art and the viewer.
So that’s my intention here; to get a dialog going about art and it’s position and ability to spark connections between people.
Not just “oh I like that!” or “I don’t” but what does it mean?
What does it matter?

Vin