An exciting new project is just
what I needed to get my act together and start a blog. The project has yet
to be named, but it came about from a proposal I submitted to "Art from
the Lakes", an
art exchange program between the State of Michigan and Shiga Prefecture, Japan
(sister states for over forty years). The program is hosted by the
Michigan-Shiga Sister State Board to recognize
the importance of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and the Great Lakes that
surround Michigan. Last August six artists from Shiga traveled to and held an exhibition here in Lansing. Next September, other Michigan artists and I will travel to and exhibit our work in Shiga, Japan. The theme for this exhibition is "The Nature of Michigan".
My project for "Art from the Lakes" (and other exhibitions to follow) is photographing the shadows of endangered and threatened plant species in Michigan. These images will be transferred onto paper which I'll make from invasive plant species. It's exactly the type of project that inspires me most: it's conceptual, there's a story to tell, the subject matter is fleeting and often overlooked, and best of all it's educational for myself and for others.
