What Was and What Is To Come

Don't miss this great weekend of Music at the gallery!
Presented by Cobscook Bay Music

Two great shows are slotted for Mother's Day Weekend at Crow Town Gallery. Slaid Cleaves and Scott Ainslie are both masters of their craft and we are super excited to share their talents with you.
Check them out at:

https://www.slaidcleaves.com/

https://cattailmusic.com/

All concerts are presented by Cobscook Bay Music. Tickets on sale now!

cobscookbaymusic.com

Holiday Artisan Market at Crow Town Gallery

One of the things about the gallery that former owners Bonnie and Ukey started, which I hope to continue as possible, is the community aspect. In December we hosted a Holiday Artisan Market with five guest vendors: Lisa Marquis-Bradbury (Mosaics), Sherry Ashby (art), Heidi Herzberger (organic homegrown goods and art), Lisa M. Dellwo (Timberdoodlz notecards and gifts), and Jolene Corey Doran (The Fiber Gypsy). The first year was a great success! Thanks to all who came out to support us. 

The Subdudes

Portland House of Music, March 10, 2019

It was bucket list item of sorts. My favorite band had dismantled shortly after I saw them in the mid 90's. I was so excited to see that they had reunited and were coming back to Maine. Despite obstacles (car brake issues while traveling six hours in a snowstorm with slippery roads) I made it to the hotel two hours late just as the Subdudes pulled in next to me. Of all my years working with musicians/backstage etc., I had never in my life been starstruck until this moment. My insides shook for nearly an hour. It's good for the soul of a forty-nine year old to feel like a teenager once in a while. My spirit sister Lisa and I had a night full of smiles and dancing. Check out their unique, eclectic music. A mix of gospel, funk, blues, rock, and folk. You won't be disappointed!

Subdudes Website 

Some of last summer's pottery, showcasing the new handcarved design top left:  the Periwinkle series. 

The new Pottery Den

In progress. Thanks to some dedicated, expert help, sheetrock was installed, spackled, painted, and trimmed. Thank you! We're waiting for the concrete to warm a bit more before painting the floor and moving in.

Me at the potter's wheel. Doing what I do best...getting dirty.

This year's theme for the Bay of Fundy International Marathon...

The sea urchin.

It was the hottest, most sweaty day of the year, but the volunteer team pulled it off! We hosted a public Raku Feast and Fire. Here the kiln is loaded, ready to fire, while more work sits on top to warm for the next load. 

….And the results were gorgeous!

My favorite moment of the year (and maybe life) was to be out on the water looking for whales. I had never seen a whale before other than at a very long distance, and it was brief. This particular morning, whales breached, slapped fins, voiced, and even swam right under our small boat. Thank you for this experience, Scott. I will always remember it. 

While out looking for whales I got to see a fully intact herring weir. Weirs are one of my favorite art subjects, and this one was hauntingly beautiful. 

Bouli. Queen of the guitar case, and anything else she wishes to be. 

Interior of Crow Town Gallery

Pat Fry, Crow Town Gallery guest artist last fall, stands with her oil painting "The Clam Digger."  I was so happy to see this piece sell to the subject of the  painting, who was also an art student of mine many moons ago.

Once a weekly blogger, I am now hard-pressed to manage even one post a year. Finally, I am sitting down long enough to post a few photos and write a few words. The first season at the helm of Crow Town Gallery was a huge success and I am gearing up to open the doors for the second season, starting in April. It's important to me that the community aspect remains intact under my ownership and in 2018 I think that goal was accomplished. There are some aspects that I have not been able to continue as they are not feasible (like dances...since the gallery is full of fragile pottery) but with the help of friends, live music was presented, guest artists showed their work, events were open to the public, and I was able to greet people from all over the world as they found their way here.

Spring through fall is primarily about keeping the gallery running, and in winter, both last and this year, renovations were done to create living and work space. The "pottery den" is in progress (thanks to an immense amount of help!) and hopefully will be finished off in about a month. The temps need to warm a bit so that the floor paint can dry. It will be nice to keep some windows open to air out as well.

I'm excited about the upcoming season. While the doors open in April, the real kick-off is in May when live concerts are up and running and the tourist population returns. Hope to see you around these parts!

If you are interested in learning a bit more about Lubec and why it is so special, check out the December 2018 article in DownEast Magazine:

https://downeast.com/lubec-maine/

Lubec Springs to Life

I just completed another set of columns based on factory ruins of Lubec. Creating different arrangements with the individual components has enlightened me to the difference between how the ruins "feel" vs. how they "look". The above example illustrates what I feel when I stand at the ruins of the old Columbian Factory.

 

 

 Columbian Factory ruins, Lubec, Maine

 

 

 

"Rubble"

This is how I "see" the ruins.

 

 

 "Guardians"

Surface texture translated from my "Water, Wind, and Time" drawing series that focuses on details from the factory ruins. To view some of the drawings, click here.

 

The image that inspired "Guardians".

The old pilings that emerge from the sand and seaweed look and feel like keepers of the ruins.

 

 

Bouli has a thing for the camera. As soon as the photo lights turn on she hops onto the staging and starts flashing those baby blues. I'm starting to think that she might have a career in product advertisement.

 

 I'm still working on the Bay of Fundy Marathon and 10k awards. These are the 10K awards, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, for men and women. I'm closing on the finish line....so to say. 

 

 

 The 10k and marathon medallions are now in production. I had thought I would work from a mold but decided that I prefer the handcarved look....so I am now handcarving each of the eighty-four medallions. I have my work "carved" out for me!

 

 

 

 Herring Collectors Series platter, fresh from the fire last week.

 

Spring has finally sprung in Lubec. Warm days with penetrating sun, green grass, leaf buds, and daffodils grace us. The critters are coming out en masse and our yard has been playing host to all kinds of species. The porcupine seems to have found a place in our family and the deer graze on the fresh greens awaiting the arrival of our garden. Eagles and osprey fly overhead while Blue Jays take to the tree tops. The pileated woodpecker has been drumming on one of the birches, a rhythm much deeper and louder than the downy which normally claims the decaying trunks.

 

Another signal of springtime in Lubec is the return of people who scattered to warmer climates during the winter. Those who dared to face the snow and wind here on the peninsula emerge from their dens to once again be social. The market is a bit busier and the downtown shops and restaurants show signs of opening. My dream a few nights ago of the big brown bear is sort of how I think of us here. There is a deep and rejuvenating sleep in this little town in preparation for the highly contrasted alertness of the warmer months. The segue is gradual at first with thick fog banks enveloping the shoreline, but eventually sun breaks through.

 

We moved here almost twelve years ago with the plan to stay only one year. Lubec was supposed to be a transition point for us, but instead, fate found us setting up house on a permanent basis. The journey has been trying at times, but hindsight is always 20/20 they say. I am thankful for the alignment of various events and people that brought us here and feel incredibly blessed to call this tiny seaside village "home".

 

Before we moved here, Chris' grandfather would say to us that Lubec was "the perfect place for an artist and a writer." When we arrived on that late August day in 2001 to what appeared to be a ghost town of sorts, I couldn't find the wisdom in Richard's words. But now, yes, I recognize just how very insightful, and prophetic, his words were.

 

We moved to a town that was in transition, suffering the loss of a factory industry that had allowed it to, at one time, prosper immensely.  Now, almost twelve years later, there is a renaissance occurring. The streets are again filling with people and businesses are opening. Lubec has become a tourist destination to people from all over. This once-sleepy little town has been "found-out" by musicians, artists, writers, and organic farmers who revel (in a sort of introverted way) in its humble beauty.

 

At one time I used to joke that our "big night out" was a ride around town to watch the sun set over the bay. Now there are so many things happening in this region that one cannot even begin to take it all in, from theater, to musical performances, to art openings, to community-hosted potlucks, movies, and hikes. There is no greater backdrop than the majestic bold coast where we live.

 

Lubec Market re-opens mid June, the marathon soon follows, and festival planning is in place. Lubec Arts Alive is in the thick of designing the early July event and for me personally, the prep has begun for "pottery season". I am juggling production for fairs and shops while trying to wrap up the awards for the marathon.

 

I am so excited to announce that it is official - Lubec is one of the sites selected for the 2014 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium (SISS)! You'll be hearing lots more about that as time progresses toward the event. For the short term, when enjoying the marathon festivities downtown on June 23rd, be sure to visit the Strawberry Moon Shortcake booth to enjoy some yummy fresh eats while learning about the SISS project. This is our first fundraiser for the stone sculpture that will soon grace our town and put us "on the map." Be sure to stop by!
 

 

 

 

 

Awaiting the Threshold

 WATER, WIND, and TIME: Exposed

Series 2

(three of nine drawings)

Inspired by the Columbian Canning Plant ruins, Lubec, Maine

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 GUARDIANS

Interpretations of drawings from "Water, Wind, and Time" onto clay

(greenware forms - planning to kiln fire soon!)

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 

 Awards for the Bay of Fundy Marathon (June 2013) are carved and drying - awaiting the first of two kiln firings. Next up: Creation of approximately 80 medallions.

Shanna Wheelock, 2013

 

 

Chris was a busy poet in April, as it was National Poetry month. He packed the house at UMM on the 9th, then scooted up to Bangor the next day to read at "Poet Speak" at the Bangor Public Library. He was one of three poets who represented a new journal "The Catch".

 

 Production pottery is back in full swing. Mugs, mugs, and more mugs. (and a few bowls, sake jugs, vases.....etc.)

 

 

This big spiky guy has been in the front yard the past two evenings. A few days ago, the deer. Wondering what critter will take to feasting on the fresh new greens next. Big hole dug on lawn as well. I think the culprit is the skunk that was scuttling about in our driveway. Last night a raccoon woke me while trying to steal our bagged garbage. Yep. Spring has arrived.

 

 

 

Yesterday I met with friends for an afternoon social. We sat in a cabin poised next to a large window overlooking the serene bay at low tide, sipping locally-crafted crimson berry tea and snacking on homemade nut-meal cookies. The conversation was, as usual, energetic and hopeful; a sharing of ideas and current creative endeavors.

 

Getting to the point of gathering the three of us in one spot for any length of time is quite the task. To coordinate this afternoon visit, we had met for five minutes in a parking lot two weeks previous with our datebooks in hand. While the organization for a visit is challenging, there is, on some sort of intuitive level, a knowing that these mini gatherings are important and that we should make every effort possible to make them happen.

 

Our conversation, at one point, turned to the recent Boston marathon bombing. The event has inundated the media this past week and less than 24 hours earlier, a nineteen year old was taken into custody after an intense overnight shootout and manhunt. Boston and surrounding towns had essentially been "shut-down", the streets void of people and transit lest for the hundreds of cops and other tactical teams. My mother recalled that she had not seen anything like this since she lived in Boston in the sixties when the "Boston Strangler" was at-large and there was an after-dark curfew for women. In a city that is normally active with pedestrians and the whir of vehicles, the silence was eerie.

 

In our round table discussion, we offered our feelings on the subject. The conversation was inevitably politically-tinged and we all did not have the same thoughts on how the country as a whole should proceed or prevent further violent acts of this nature. While our politics differed, one thing stood out: Despite deeply held individual beliefs, we gather in peace, compassion, and respect on a common ground of friendship, healing, and art.

 

This has had me thinking how very rare it is that people of opposing views can be in each others' presence in these turbulent, highly-divided political times and still find "the common ground" that links us. We hear politicians talk about "meeting in the middle" but seldom does that actually occur. Seldom can we even gather polar opposites without a real knock-down drag-out verbal boxing round. We are a country at odds, and in the bigger picture, that won't fare well for us or the young people that are growing up in these times.

 

We live surrounded by (an acceptance of) the culture of violence. While the recent bombing in Boston shook us at the core and stripped us of yet another layer of what little bit of security that we felt, we continue on with our lives and for me personally, I wonder, what really can, or will, be done to change this course of self-destruction.

 

Even after the Newtown shooting that claimed the lives of twenty-five young children and two adults, a slight majority of our political "leaders" would not budge to allow a simple background check before a person buys a gun. This was after a knowing that 90% of Americans favored such legislation. What will it take?  How many more heartbreaking acts of violence will finally put us over that threshold where EVERYONE says that "enough is enough".

 

When will we start looking to real solutions that begin to rebuild us a healthy, compassionate, peaceful society?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the Drawing Table

 Sunday, March 10, 2013
Women's Art: A Conversation with Elizabeth Ostrander and Shanna Wheelock
3:00 p.m.at the Eastport Arts Center
36 Washington Street, Eastport, Maine
Click here for Shanna Wheelock's website.
Click here Elizabeth Ostrander's website
Click here for the Eastport Art Center website.

 

 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Machias Women's Forum

5:30-8:00 p.m.

Helen's Restaurant, Machias, ME

Presenters: Shanna Wheelock, Elizabeth Ostrander, and Sherry Ashby Cunningham

Topic: How Spirituality informs and inspires our artwork

Save the date and check back for more info.

 

 

Been drawing images of "Factory C" 

(Shanna Wheelock, Lubec, Maine)

 

 

Factory C

(Lubec, Maine)

 

 

Interior View of "Factory C"

(Shanna Wheelock, Lubec, Maine)

 

Photo of "Factory C"

(Lubec, Maine)

 

Back in early college years my ceramics professor told me that being able to draw is a critical skill, even for a potter. Though I enjoyed drawing I fumbled around quite a bit. The fine arts program leaned on the heavy side of drawing credits and for that I am thankful. From those years I developed a love of figure drawing and conte. Drawing for me, though, is one of those things that gets put to the side when there are dozens of mugs or a sculpture needing to be done. I do genuinely love to draw, and just as with weaving or clay work, I can get lost for hours in shading and line.

 

Soon after I visited the ruins at Factory C, I knew that I wanted to draw the images that were burned so deeply in my mind. What I didn't account for was that it had been at least three years since I had picked up a drawing tool to do a serious drawing.

 

I was a bit apprehensive as my logical self laid out ideas for matching paper sizes and a grouping of drawings all executed in one material. I soon realized that I was far more rusty with my drawing skills than previously thought. A few rough starts in pencil then grumblings with shading and tendencies toward detail even thought the material was not well suited for that, I forged onward. A mix of pleasure and pain, if you will. I eventually got into my groove and reminded myself that I don't need to have it all figured out before the first line is even drawn.

 

Four drawings later, I am starting to find my zone and zero in on what I'd like to do. The first few drawings are like getting back to the wheel after a few months away. At first it feels awkward but eventually the hands remember the right pressure and speed. Drawing is meditative in the same was as clay or fiber, and messy in its own right.

 

I plan to use the drawings as a means to an end. They will be studied, dissected, enlarged, then transferred in some fashion. Right now I just catch glimpses of a plan in mind's eye. As with most of my projects, I don't know the end result until I know the end.

 

Drawing can be addictive but right now I have quite a few things to juggle so that obsession will have to be squeezed into allotted blocks of time over the next few weeks. I just spent the past two weeks fully immersed in the factory study from clay work to drawing, ruin site visits, time at the library, and online research. I took a small hiatus from the bulk of meetings that I normally attend and other semi-social functions for that focus, but the roster is once again full and I am at that moment in the calendar year where I take a deep breath, hold up my feet, and move full steam ahead. The next few months until January 2014 are blocked with commissions, vending, stocking shops, speaking engagements, workshops, MFA classes, farmer's market, and community work with Lubec Arts Alive and (newly added) committee work for the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium project.  (YES! It looks like Lubec, in most high probability, will be one of the 2014 sites! I'll post updates as I know them.)

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

 

 

We just returned from the Samoset where we celebrated my mom's 70th birthday with a lovely evening out on the town. The visit was too short but ended on a fun note with mom and Chris singing all kinds of songs from the 50's. Let's just say that Elvis was one of the faves and when the first line of Hound Dog began the two of them were twisting across the room while belting out the lyrics. It sure was a sight! I hope that I am this energetic and free-spirited at seventy. Crossing my fingers those genes are well ingrained. Thanks, Mom, for forty three years of unconditional love and nurturing, and thank you for being such a wonderful guide and supporter of my artist self.

 

In the downeast area this coming weekend?

 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Women's Art: A Conversation with Elizabeth Ostrander and Shanna Wheelock

3:00 p.m.at the Eastport Arts Center

 

While I was in Rockland and tooling around the streets, I came upon this lovely mermaid resting contently in a window box along Main Street. This is the work of Elizabeth Ostrander, an Eastport artist with whom I will share the stage this coming Sunday as we present a talk at the Eastport Arts Center.

 

Mermaid by Elizabeth Ostrander

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Water, Wind, and Time

 

Sunday, March 10, 2013
Women's Art: A Conversation with Elizabeth Ostrander and Shanna Wheelock
3:00 p.m.at the Eastport Arts Center
36 Washington Street, Eastport, Maine
Click here for Shanna Wheelock's website.
Click here Elizabeth Ostrander's website
Click here for the Eastport Art Center website.


Thursday, March 21, 2013
Machias Women's Forum
5:30-8:00 p.m.
Helen's Restaurant, Machias, ME
Presenters: Shanna Wheelock, Elizabeth Ostrander, and Sherry Ashby Cunningham
Topic: How Spirituality informs and inspires our artwork
Save the date and check back for more info.


 Click here for a recent article about the marathon and my artwork in the Bangor Daily News

Check out Maine artist Kenny Cole's blog about his current project "Parabellum".
Chris is collaborating on part of the project. Very cool!
 

 

Factory C (or Columbian Canning Plant?) Located behind the old Columbian Store , Lubec, Maine

I have been photographing these ruins for a current art project.

Click here to see photo of what it once looked like.

 

Another shot of the factory ruins.

 

 

I collected bricks from the American Can Factory site, North Lubec, and am experimenting with pulverizing the fragments and embedding the dust into clay.

 

 

Just a few days after winter storm NEMO, our big boy Bello Shroom was outside enjoying the sunny day melt-off.

 

 

I found a recipe that clued me in on how to fry tofu perfectly. No batter involved - just straight up tofu and sesame seeds in olive oil. It is so yummy that we have eaten a version of this three times in the past four or five days.

 

 

2013 Bay of Fundy Marathon

 

Click here for an Article about the marathon and my work in the Bangor Daily News

 

Awards are coming along for the Bay of Fundy Marathon. I am giving my wrists a break for a week before tackling the next group of pieces which will be the most intricate and complex of the bunch. These are the tumblers that will be awarded to the teams in the 10k and marathon.

 

If you are traveling to Lubec during the marathon be sure to book your accommodations sooner rather than later. I know that as of this morning, Away Downeast still has a couple awesome and affordable cottage available.

 

For a more comprehensive list of B&B's and motels, etc, check out the VisitLubecMaine website.

 

If you still need help finding accommodations, contact the Bay of Fundy Marathon organizers for suggestions.

 

 

Thinking maybe I should change my blog title to "Food, Cats and Art." That seems to sum up most days here in our little nook in the far reaches of the country. The past couple weeks have been fulfilling on all fronts. Chris and I have our super busy times where we find ourselves on the road to various readings, exhibits, meetings, or family events, but other times we are able to find these stretches where retreating to our respective work spaces is unfettered by outside distractions.

 

I set aside one week to (almost) fully dedicate to the beginning stages of a new art project. Most weeks I am juggling a little bit of "this" and little bit of "that" but this week I wanted to be able to solidify some ideas. For an artist to have that time without outside distractions is worth the weight of any hefty item in gold.

 

I had been waiting for the right conditions to visit the ruins of an old factory site here in Lubec. On Friday I finally had the opportunity. I needed compliant weather, tide, and Chris. I had never been to the site before and was unsure how approachable it would be. It is not a safe space by any stretch with the massive deterioration but was in better condition than I had expected. I snapped over a hundred photos that have been filed and later this morning I will begin printing them to use as inspiration in both clay, conte, and encaustic.

 

I am excited by my level of excitement. When I got to the ruins close-up, I swear my heart skipped a beat. Something resonated with me so strongly on such a deep level. With some things in our lives, we don't always understand our reactions, but over time, clarity begins to come forth presenting the bigger picture. For me, with this site visit, I started to understand some of the images that had been emerging in my work over the past couple years. At the time of creating those works, or even recently seeing images in my mind but not being able to translate, this one afternoon allowed all kinds of connections to be realized. The images, understandings, and connections is only in the most infantile stage but at the precipice of unfolding in a most profound way. I can feel it.

 

It is amazing to look at these ruins and to know that this is not a war-torn village and that these walls and ceilings are not collapsed because of bombs. Merely, it is water, wind, and time that has eroded the structure. Such awesome power in the elements.

 

Looking at these ruins, even though used for a period of time and when no longer profitable abandoned and left succumb to the elements, there is beauty and reverence. The energy is still. In some ways, a ghostly still. But also, a reverent stillness. Pier stubs emerge from the sand like gravestones. Columns, broken, and slanted, lean against one another like Stonehenge dolmens. Slabs of concrete hang from steel rods exposing an opening in the ceiling that is a gateway to infinite sky. Every square foot guards a memory or story.

 

At the moment, my mind is buzzing with ideas. This part of the process takes a while for me to decipher. Images snap through mind's eye and it is an art in snagging the right one that can carry and artist through from conception to artwork. My cave is warming up now, waiting me to begin this journey.

Extremes

Link to: Cobscook Pottery's Facebook page.

Entrance to the Harlow Gallery, Hallowell, Maine

Occupy Art!
Current exhibit at the Harlow Gallery

Occupy Art!
Harlow Gallery wall plastered with artwork from various UMVA Draw-A-Thons over the past couple years.

Support structure (top component) built for my upcoming Lubec Landmarks exhibit.
Thanks to my Dad, whose woodworking skills are quite honed!
During our "Father-Daughter Woodshop Day", I learned a lot about the importance of strong support. I loved having another person to problem-solve with during the actual hands-on part of the project - which allowed for some nifty impromptu decisions.
(I must note that he didn't reach a comfort level where he would allow me to operate the dangerous power tools even though I was itching to, but being an observant assistant/apprentice I absorbed much insight for future projects.)

Takeout Friday night from Lucky Garden in Hallowell.
Chris and I both got the same fortune in our cookies.
Looks like a good sign to me!

"Life is like licking honey off a thorn"
-something Berri's Nana used to say...

This past week has been punctuated by extreme highs and lows. The extreme low presented the most painful and emotionally challenging week ever in my thirteen years of teaching. At the other end of the extreme, bursts of hope, beauty, and unexpected treasures surfaced. I know that life is like this, the bitter and the sweet, but to have the two juxtaposed from one hour to the next seems an anomaly. In one moment grief seemed overwhelming, the next, an understanding that life moves forward. To deny celebration and beauty even in the midst of loss would be to deny nature its gifts and lessons. We can be stuck in the pain, or we can let it move through us. I am truly thankful that the universe has been diligent in reminding me of this.

My current sculpture project about the factories that once were is more and more seeming a metaphor for a general sense of loss. It feels to me that Lubec, as a community, experiences a consistent stream of loss at a tragic level far more than any other place that I have lived. Again though, these losses are punctuated by extremes. In the two hundred year history of this town, over thirty factories provided stability and identity for the townspeople. By fire or planned destruction, the factories are now nothing more than a memory or a few dilapidated remnants.

Keeping with this tradition of letting go, people are the same. They filter in and out, from migrant workers to families that move from far reaches of the country only to soon relocate once again. Two years ago, the high school was shut-down, a huge loss for the kids and general community. It seems, as well, that more lives are lost to tragic circumstances than humanly conceivable.

Lubec's tiny population in a remote poverty-stricken area of the nation, in my opinion, experiences loss far too often. It might be some sort of cosmic alignment at play, or it could simply be that loss is a natural expectation of a community that depends on the powerful forces of nature for its livelihood. There are no cushy Wall Street vocations and nature's elements, though powerful and beautiful, can be cruel. There has been a high number of teens who have died in the past year, which is especially painful for a community to come to grips with.

Looking at Lubec's history, such unjustifiable and unexpected death is not new. In 1936, twelve students drown in Gardner Lake. I cannot even imagine how a community begins to heal after such a tragedy. Still, it is the constitution of the people here to somehow pick up the pieces and move forward. They are strong, resilient, and know hardships of everyday living. It would be too easy to crumble in the face of such adversity, and easy is not what makes a person stronger.

The high points this past week included joining my husband and other great Maine artists and poets at the opening reception for Occupy Art! at the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell. The exhibit was a culmination of the dedication and hard work of artist organizers Natasha Mayers, Robert Shetterly, Kenny Cole, Nora Tyron, Code Pink activist Lisa Savage, and several Maine artists who participated in the UMVA Draw-A-Thons over the past two years.

The Draw-A-Thons began as a grassroots "Bring our War Dollars Home" initiative and continued to gain momentum after the governor's removal of the Maine Labor Mural and now as the Occupy Movement continues. As we can see with the current Harlow Gallery exhibit, artists are an empowering and articulate voice for justice, equality, and hope.

My husband Chris was one of the four poets who read at the opening reception last Friday. It was an uplifting evening that was much appreciated after the two previous grief-filled days.

Another highlight this past week was our dinner guest Jon Wing Lum, the filmmaker who created the Lubec Arts Alive documentary. As one of the first Asian American filmmakers, he opened the door for other Asians in the industry. He was a proponent of "catalytic cinema", working on projects to promote social change. The conversations this evening were incredibly interesting, swinging from stories about working with artists in New York such as DeKooning and Jasper Johns to experiences in the south during the civil rights movement. What I love most about Wing is his gentle spirit and humble character despite such amazing accomplishments. He is one of Lubec's gems for sure.

There were other little unexpected twists and turns including our hotel room. For the poetry reading event, we arrived late to town Thursday night weary from grief and travel to be told at the front desk that we were given a "slight upgrade". Having sought out the cheapest of the clean accommodations in the area with wifi access so that Chris could continue his online teaching work while we were away, we didn't fully grasp "slight upgrade" until we opened the second floor room door.

Did you know that some hotel rooms come with telephones by the toilet?

For a couple nights we jokingly lived the 1% lifestyle (albeit with takeout food and a strict budget) while rallying for the 99%. All by accident. Back to Lubec now - where the phone rests on its charger in a room off the kitchen, out-of-reach from the toilet.

Early Spring has Arrived!

I woke this morning to be greeted by beautiful floating puffs and blue sky.

Snow last week, early spring this week.
Hoping the latter is here to stay.

The spot where I spent my entire day yesterday...and some of the night!
I'm a very messy potter, as you can see.

Pieces trimmed and drying while first load is in the kiln, firing as I type.

Cat Labor
Bouli does her best earn her keep...though she seems to be taking a lot of naps while on the job.

Yes, I do think spring has arrived a bit early. We were walloped with a late season snow last week (enough to delay school two hours) then two days later the weather gods decided to tease us with sunny, warm days. It felt great to take a St. Patty's Day walk in the fresh air without having to "gear up" in mittens and hat. This morning I woke to a gorgeous blue-clouded sky and am in the mindset that I best get my studio work done early so that I may enjoy a mid afternoon jaunt.

The past week was full between meetings, teaching, and studio work. I got my grades for school done a few days earlier than normal and am glad to have that project marked off the list. Lubec Arts Alive committee met last week, too, and it is exciting to think about possible projects and the hum of summer activity. Lubec can be a "sleepy" sort of town in the winter, but like spring, is coming to life a bit earlier than normal. Already, cars from out-of-state are passing through our streets and that means that I should be thinking about opening the shop soon. There is lots to be done in prep for that but I am hopeful for a mid to late May opening, though may sneak in a few open hours here and there before that. I won't keep regular hours, though, until June. In the meantime, I am busy making wares for other venues.

I am super excited about my upcoming show in June. I am anxious to see the main installation piece come together but realize that this won't happen until May. Today, after about an hour of finishing up some pot trimming, I will do an extensive stretch of clay shingle production. I am also working out ideas in my mind for a series of work for the show - "collector's pieces" if you will, that somehow tie in with the main installation sculpture, but will be far more affordable and less time consuming than the 9 foot/200+ hour installation piece.

I will cut this blog short today- for the simple fact that I am itching to get into the studio and tackle the to-do list. It's a busy week ahead with four kiln firings, glazing marathons, teaching, visitors, and MFA work.

If in downeast Maine, don't forget to tune into ABC/WVII TV (channel 8 Warner Bros. / channel 7 Dish Satellite) on Sunday, March 25th, 3:00 p.m. The 2009 Lubec Arts Alive film, by Jon Wing Lum, will be airing. The film documents an amazing week of art-making here in Lubec when our town joined forces with the Union of Maine Visual Artists. The film includes interviews with Natasha Mayers, Robert Shetterly, Kenny Cole, Rose Marasco, Brown Lethem (to name a few!!!). And if here in Lubec (or nearby) Uncle Kippy's Restaurant will show the film on the big screen as it airs on TV, open to the public. (I am a narrator of sorts for the film.) If you are in the viewing area (Rockport to E. Millinocket /Oakland to Lubec) check it out! The film is about 36 minutes long, but will air in the 3:00-4:00 p.m. hour long slot.

For more info on the Lubec Arts Alive film, visit the Lubec Arts Alive blog site.

Into my cave I go....

Keep this date open
Saturday, June 2
My art opening at Lubec Landmarks. More info to follow.

Chris' Poetry
Student and Faculty Poetry Reading
UMM / Tuesday, March 20th / Power's Hall Art Gallery / 7:00 p.m.
Chris will be reading some of his works at this event.

Occupy Art / Art Opening and Poetry at the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell, Maine
Harlow Gallery, Hallowell, Maine
April 6th, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Poetry reading by Chris Crittenden, Lee Sharkey, Henry Braun, Mark Melnicove
Please Note: THIS EVENT IS HAPPENING AS SCHEDULED

http://www.harlowgallery.org/wordpress1/?p=4944

Calias Bookstore Poetry Reading: Chris Crittenden
Tentatively set for Monday, April 16th. I'll keep you informed!