Feeling super grateful lately 😊
Work on exhibition at Overture Galleries ☑️
Work on display in the Madison Municipal building ☑️
Writing checks from Communication this week to over 40 artists 🎉🎉
Cooking up a large scale woodcut that I'll be working on over the next few weeks, that will be printed either on one of large-scale Tandem presses or via steamroller during the SGCI convention and volunteering to help out at that event via Fresh Hot Press
Reflections on being an artist
As I sit here in my bed with a head cold...
I'm taking the opportunity to slow down and reflect on how far I've come on this art journey
It hasn't been easy and I hope you know that a path worth venturing on is rarely easy.
I look back with such tenderness for all those moments I believed that impossible dialogue in my brain. I bought into programs of others that claimed to know more about what I'm supposed to do or who I am supposed to be than recognizing that the answers were already there.
On any social media platform it is too easy to look back with scorn on our former selves and criticize with 20/20 hindsight, But that would be a huge mistake!
When I look back I see all of the struggles and sticking points that I needed to endure to become who I am now. I love that I know now that no amount of programs you pay for to help you do x or y are going to let you skip further down your path.
We hold what we can at the moments that are right for us. You are an expert on your journey, don't let anyone expertly tell you need ( insert any variable) before you can get to where you are going. ( hello, all marketing to artists?!!) That is not you talking darling, it's so many systems that rob us of ourselves, distracting us from the time we have to put in.
You already know how to do this. You are already an artist! Wherever you are at on your path, take a moment to love yourself now and send love back to all of the selves you've been before that got you here.
You may always want to be further than where you are now, but look at how far you've come ❤️
Call and Response opening
Hey Madison friends,
This Saturday 3-6pm is the reception for the Communication Madison
Pop- up at Garver Canvas!! The exhibition titled Call and Response: Building relationships Between Artists and With Community has received a great response from the community ❤️
Help us celebrate the work of over 50 artists from the 5hop and even more work from @artworkingmadison artists for the entire day!
I have a few works on view including this original Wellness #1, a woodcut print on clothing pattern paper on canvas. It's a nest of birds that have kept my mental well-being in check during these past few years 🕊️
Hope to see both artists and community alike!
* Masks are and will continue to be required in this space*
Creature Feature
Friday Creature Feature:
Atolla jellyfish, Atolla wyvillei
Also has the nickname, alarm jellyfish because it has distinct bioluminescent displays when it is being nibbled on. These bright red jellies are found in the depths all over the world.
These displays end up attracting bigger predators to prey on what is feasting on the Atolla jellyfish.
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Coincidentally these jellyfish appeared in my work in the the piece " Discovery" and the prints shown that also precede the last panel Conception that features the giant squid.
After reading Edith Widder's book," Below the Edge of Darkness: a memoir of exploring light and life in the deep sea" I learned that she used the bioluminescent signature of the Atolla jellyfish to lure giant squid responsible for the very first video recordings of these giants in the depths. 🎉🐙
There are many more discoveries waiting in the depths and many, many women, like Edith leading the charge.
Swipe for 2 different pieces featuring the Atolla Jellyfish
2nd photo cred: @blueumbrellaarts
Both on view at Overture Galleries through April
A Year ago...
A year ago this SIPHONOPHORE was installed for Winter is Alive- A world wide festival dedicated to climate action.
The week I installed last year had sub zero temps and I had to stop a few times because I couldn't feel my hands.
A couple weeks after installation all the snow was gone and it was so warm that the installations on Madison lakes had to be taken down nearly 2 weeks earlier than planned
Comparatively this year and today in particular it's nearly 50 degrees more than it was at this time last year. In the past decade in February there have been 70 degree days. While many Midwesterners rejoice during warm temps in the middle of winter, I find it alarming.
This SIPHONOPHORE represents our hopes, our collective and individual actions and how they all work together. The actions we take as individuals matter. Things worth doing require time, patience and love.
I do believe that individual action can drive change. In siphonophores, individual organisms join together to form a colonial organism in order to survive.
Climate action is a siphonophore, we are dependent on each other to feed the movement that ensures not only our survival but also all other life on this planet.
I believe the oceans are where life originated and the preservation of the oceans also maintains balance for all life on this blue marble.
Part of my climate action as an artist is in presenting what is contained in the blue of our marble and deep sea creatures in particular. These creatures aren't visible to us, we know relatively nothing about them and yet they're responsible for a large portion of the oxygen we breathe, for sinking tons of carbon and much else we don't even know we don't know. By better understanding them we come to know ourselves.
Discovery
DISCOVERY-
✨The 3rd panel of Into the Deep now on view at @overturegalleries for Reenter, Renew
✨ Describes part of my creative process
✨Describes a state we inhabit ( after Surrender- panel 1 and Detachment- panel 2) after we have broken barriers around things that have held us back. We can move deeper to explore new ideas and concepts with the curiosity of a child.
✨Describes creatures found at or around the midnight zone ( Bathypelagic zone) of the ocean- beyond where sunlight penetrates water. The creatures depicted here all create their own bioluminescence ( light) to thrive in complete darkness.
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When creating there are times where the chatter of the brain falls away. Your hand - brain connection is at it's purest and you cannot tell where you end and the thing you are working on starts. Time ceases to exist. This flow state is a gift of presence that drowns out all the unimportant noise.
By allowing ourselves to merge with thoughts and ideas, creators produce light in the darkness.
Think about what you did and continue to do during these years of COVID: Watch movies or shows, read books, view art online, bake some bread, start a new hobby, etc?
Creators are bioluminescent creatures. By practicing creativity yourself you too can add your light to the dark. If you find yourself falling into the darkness look for lights that artists of all kinds give off or treat yourself to some creative play and you'll discover how we endure.
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Communication's Garver Feed Mill Pop up
Shout out to all of the amazing artists and volunteers helping to make the Communication pop up- Call and Response exhibition possible at Garver Canvas inside Garver Feed Mill
We ( speaking on behalf of Communication) are so pleased to have overlap with the Dane County Farmers Market It's been such a great fit to share Garver with a variety of food producers, local businesses and our greater community ❤️❤️❤️
We have seen amazing, really amazing support in the past few weeks and it makes part of my job, writing checks to artists, so darn fulfilling! I actually shriek high-pitched squeals of delight when I see the variety of work we've been selling. So thank you ❤️
I don't normally push my work, but if you are totally in love with the series currently up at Overture Center you can find 12"x12" giclee prints of the series here at the pop up 🌊
This week we are closed for an event on Saturday but you can stop by Thursday 12-6pm, Friday 12-8pm and Sunday 12-4pm so there is time to get a little something for a loved one or to treat yourself 😉
Creature Feature
Friday Creature Feature:
Bristlemouths, Hatchetfish, Stoplight loosejaws, Dragon fish, Lantern fish ( and more)
What do they have in common?
-They all live in the Twilight zone of the ocean ( Mesopelagic zone) beyond the reach of light.
- Most are daily migrants to the epipelagic zone- meaning during the day they remain in the dark and at night they migrate toward the surface water to eat
- They make up the deep scattering layer of the ocean- For a long time sonar from ships misinterpreted the ocean floor being a lot more shallow because the sheer numbers fish and the air in the swim bladders reflecting the sonar.
- Mesopelagic fish make up the largest total biomass of fish in the ocean- they are the most abundant
- Their abundance and their daily vertical migration in the ocean acts as a bio pump removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The global fishing industry has overfished the ocean's surface now they are increasingly interested in capturing mesopelagic fish on a massive scale. These fish are unpalatable so they'll be made into fishmeal for supplements and as food for aquaculture.
HARD STOP..... so many questions!!
If we negate the effects of this carbon sink and add more carbon producing fish byproducts, doesn't that add exponential rates of carbon into the atmosphere?
Are we going to properly manage and regulate the catch of these fish or are we going to fish these deep sea fish to their full collapse as we have with most other fish? 🤔
We still know very little about any organisms living in the deep sea. We need to see them, love them and protect them.
View this printed collection of mesopelagic fish at the Overture Center for the Arts through April.
Past installation of Into the Deep
In September-October of 2020 I exhibited these pieces at Communication Madison
We were ( and still are) in the midst of a global pandemic so when I made plans to show this series Into the Deep for the first time I found myself asking what do I want people to take away from this series and how can this work best serve people under collective trauma in a way that is safe?
The answers then and now haven't changed all that much.
This series depicts how we handle trauma and fear or how we can learn more from the darkness to find ways to reconnect the pieces of ourselves. Put more simply, this series is a primer on becoming whole which is a process that never has a definitive end, it's a never-ending cycle.
The series remains a virtual exhibition on my website with additional information, 3D views of how the gallery was arranged, with video featuring alternate views of the pieces elements that mimic bioluminescence.
This photo shows " Detachment" and " Discovery" under only UV light so the only visible details illustrate the ways fish and other deep sea creatures create their own light.
If you feel comfortable doing so can view these pieces currently at Overture Center for the arts @overturegalleries on the second floor and explore the bioluminescence with UV flashlights under regular lighting so you can see all the details.
I don't have all the answers and this series is still underway but I do hope that this series can serve as a reminder that we all go through these times. We may not have the power to control certain outcomes but we get to decide how we react and how we create our own light like all of those amazing creatures of the deep sea.
Exhibition Reenter, Renew officially open
The Overture Center Gallery exhibitions are officially open today 🎉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It's a perfect sub zero temperature day to venture out of your house and go right back inside to peruse art .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I'm going to do a monthly giveaway of 12x12" giclee prints from this series and possibly big paper prints ( more details in a bit)...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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so⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you do stop by before I announce giveaway details, make sure to take a selfie with a piece or part of my work that speaks most to you and save it for entry in the giveaway later. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Stay warm friends!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Reenter, Renew exhibition
The exhibition Reenter, Renew is up at the Overture Center for the Arts!
This exhibition is in Gallery II on the second floor and features the relief prints of Brady Nichols alongside my large-scale painted woodcut carvings and experimental tissue paper prints on thin polycarbonate.
This is the first time that all the current Into the Deep panels are shown on 1 wall in the order that the story unfolds and the first time you can explore the bioluminescence of certain panels with UV flashlights. 🙂
Reenter, Renew is up for a number of months so stop in after Tuesday Jan 25 explore it if you're in the Madison area.
There is an incredible line up of artists in all the other galleries I highly recommend including @carlosbarberena @lesleyannenumbers @voxpopuliprintcollective and more coming to the Playhouse Gallery soon!
* FYI to keep staff, performers and public safe to enter the building they ask to see either a negative COVID test within 72 hours of entry or a vaccination card and ID.
Thanks to @bernieandzuzu the incredible Gallery team of @overturegalleries for their help with installation ❤️
New deep sea creatures lit up
Just a little playful fun in the cold dark winter.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Finished installing the exhibition Reenter, Renew alongside the work of Brady Nichols⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A grouping of Atolla jellyfish prints like this is part of the exhibition but the lighting isn't this dramatic.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You can check it out next week or snoop around in my stories for some sneak peeks.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Extremely exhausted, but proud I made it through this week with multiple installations now up to view in public. 🎉
Image description: black and white image light shines from below onto a hand and an ethereal print of an Atolla jellyfish. There are dramatic shadows
Reminiscing about last winter
Around this time a year ago I was continuously work on this sculpture of a siphonophore- a commentary and invitation to think about climate action.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Here in WI it's one of the coldest days we've had this winter and I reflect back on installing this outdoors during the most frigid temps of last winter. While frigid temps are no joke, the rapid rise in temperature last year, 2 weeks after installation was frightening.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Today I transported a different batch of artwork in frigid temps. Here's hoping that it will stay cold ( snow would be nice though) for awhile longer 🤞❄️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Creature of the Deep
This is me, Sara Meredith.
This is a photo with 1 take
My face without makeup
This is coping
This is the room where I have spend 75% of
my time since mid December
We're all trying our best to find our way back to ourselves and each other during a time of continued darkness.
Perhaps that is why I find it nourishing to make woodcuts of creatures surviving in the darkest depths of the ocean.
While science tells us anthropomorphizing creatures is highly unscientific.. I think to truly understand the other life forms we coexist with is to understand ourselves.That requires seeing pieces of ourselves wherever we look
Many people call many of these creatures ugly, hideous or bizarre. When I hear that I can't help but think that it's because there is such a lack of understanding about the immense value of these creatures.
I look at them and I see myself, I see us. I see misunderstood creatures. I see them creating their own light under extreme pressure and darkness and they thrive! No matter what characteristics our evolution produces, the results are beautiful.
Swipe to see details of the Atolla jellyfish, Gulper eel, bristlemouths fish and hatchet fish all woodcuts in progress.
Do you see yourself in any of these beings?
Eastside Winter Market
OMG!!!! So exhausted, so happy , extremely grateful to everyone who showed up to support vendors at Eastside Winter Market presented by Communication + Garver Events , to all of our excellent vendors, our amazing crew of volunteers of Communication, to my co- organizer Jennifer Bastian
We put on an incredible market, the love was palpable. We really heard nothing but good things which is so great to hear after 3 months of hard work.
I didn't get to take many photos but regardless this market is written in my heart as one of Communication’s greatest successes.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
And If you stopped by and I missed seeing you/ greeting you I'd love to hear what your favorite part of the market was so we can pass on the love to the vendors. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Communication and 1st large Winter Market
As all artists start sharing artists vs art squares I want to take a moment to reflect on the work the collective of Communication does on behalf of other artists, musicians and community organizations via mutual aid. We exist to create safe space for creative people to thrive and connect with community.
For over a year I have taken on a role to run the Communication shop.
This is a full-time volunteer job that I do because Communication works toward a reality that didn't exist when I was first trying to navigate the art world. To carry a torch to light multiple pathways of being is a difficult thing to do alone.... I'm so glad to have found a team with big hearts, able to hold safe space for community. Everything we do, we do with such care and intention, it's a dream.
In the past year we've grown alongside our community and it's just so amazing that despite a pandemic, despite being 48th state in arts spending, despite what many people say about Madisonians not buying art that our organization persists in part because people in our community ( and all over the US) buy art from our shop.
If we were to draw a line to each person / org that has interacted with us in some capacity you could visually see how interconnected, tightly knit and expansive the community of Communication is.
This weekend Communication hosts the biggest market we've ever done.
If you feel comfortable shopping in person I invite you to stop by Eastside Winter Market at Garver Feed Mill on Saturday and Sunday 12-7pm.
If you stop by find me and say hello. I'll be wearing one of 2 pink lanyards ( Jennie Bastian has the other one 😊️) that say event organizer 👋
Thanks to everyone involved ( long list) in helping Communication and this market exist. So proud of us.
New eco- friendly stickers
Just in! Got these printed eco- friendly ( fully compostable) and also scratch resistant, somewhat waterproof stickers ( don't put them in the dishwasher though)
This makes me feel so much better about creating bulk stickers. The dudes on these stickers really need for us to be mindful of our environmental impacts. Tardigrade s may outlive us but if they don't have to, wouldn't that be rad?!!
I'll be doing an online drop of a bunch of new items like stickers, DIY paper craft sheets and prints early next week ...
but if you're local
I'm stocking all these items at Communication and select quantities will also be available via a month long holiday pop up shop at River Arts Inc
Printing outside in November on UW Campus
It's been a fun week so far!
Monday we printed my woodcuts of freshwater aquatic species and WI Salt Wise imagery on clothing out on the UW Library Mall with UW students.
So glad to collaborate to bring art, education and advocacy for water together in an experience! It was a pleasure hearing these passionate volunteers talk with their peers about salt pollution. By the end of our 2 hours I am pretty certain these students understand how to print Woodcuts onto clothing by hand.
They thrifted 40 pounds of clothing to have people print on and we helped people print at least half of that. That's 20 pounds of clothing, I can't even quantify how many shirts, patches and doggie bandanas we printed but my body told me it was a bunch.
Thank to the WI Salt Wise crew for our continued collaboration. I'm proud that my work is helping advocate for water!!
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween!!
Here are my lewks from this year!
Going to sit out activities today and watch humorous scary movies ( my fav), read and hand out candy if anyone actually comes to the house that sits at the juncture of 2 dead ends
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Both of these costumes utilized clothing, items and previously made mask I had on hand so they only cost creativity👐
Swipe to see all
When you need something quick take a look around your house and dress up as a favorite object like this porcelain blinking doll head planter I have. OR
Remix or reuse a past costume like the Gonzo hat/ mask I created over a decade ago. It was the perfect costume for the @bernieandzuzu opening reception/ dance party at Garver Feed Mill.
Whatever you do to celebrate today be safe! And don't dress up as other people's culture!!!
Communication / community work
Time to share about the Communication Shop
Sometimes it isn't about what community can do for you it's about how you can support community.
Since my work has been focusing more and more on how we connect with nature it's important to show how that can be reflected in how people connect with each other. As always nature is my guide.
Helping artists connect with community and working to make community art programs sustainable is a reciprocal model, they feed each other endlessly. It's in our best interest to create and support strong, diverse communities that use art to connect.
I have been managing the online shop/ in person shop along with a dedicated team of volunteers since August 2020 and it's been so great to see it grow, to do this work, not for capitalism, not for personal gain but to support community growth and the arts.
This year Communication is hosting our first in person Winter Market at Garver Feed Mill instead of our small cozy space. It's a lot of hours, communication, organization and sweat but it will be worth it to see the artists, the small businesses, the community all sharing a larger space and thriving together.
I hope you can stop by and see what we're cultivating at the Eastside Winter Market Dec 11 and 12 12-7pm
Tone benefit concert Saturday Dec 11 at 8pm
Mask are required for entry
I'll be there like the whole weekend 😉
Image Description: A collective of shelves in the Communication shop hold an array of colorful art I'm a range of styles.