tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post4888785012331201272..comments2023-11-03T05:46:06.038-07:00Comments on Michigoose's gander at quilts & life: More on Understanding and Labels: Brooke Atherton's "I Feel Free"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15140675211931598431noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-79971418554481927022012-04-27T08:55:37.659-07:002012-04-27T08:55:37.659-07:00Thank you for making this insight public. I did n...Thank you for making this insight public. I did not take the time to read this when you first posted. But then yesterday I met a woman who lived through Katrina. She was one of the people who spent 4 days on the roof of her house. She could have been rescued sooner, but she refused to leave without her dearest friend, a little Dachshund. As I heard her story and how she lost absolutely everything, I was brought to tears thinking of how I would feel if I was in that situation and then asked to leave behind my loved one. Such cruelty from nature followed by the cruelty of am impossible choice. <br />Coming back to read about this work and how it had touched the artist was a wonderful insight on how we can express these strong emotions. <br />Thank you for sharing.Gail Segretonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-72340707325677493102012-04-23T07:55:17.616-07:002012-04-23T07:55:17.616-07:00I was introduced for the first time to Brooke'...I was introduced for the first time to Brooke's work last week at Elements, and found it profoundly moving. Now, reading her story, my appreciation is deepened and more nuanced. Thanks, Lisa and Brooke, for your efforts and talent.Donna Stubernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-85216392290582498782012-04-22T11:00:57.959-07:002012-04-22T11:00:57.959-07:00Ah, but Pam, Brooke doesn't have a website (ne...Ah, but Pam, Brooke doesn't have a website (neither do I for that matter), and I respect that because she does rather than writes about it. (She's been the Artist in Residence at the Yellowstone Art Museum and has been doing a lot of art outreach programs. She also spearheaded a project a few years ago where you made quilts using the waste from cutting-room floors and the garment industry with Cynthia St. Charles and I forget who all). <br /><br />So, if you wanted to find out more, there's a few articles which were published on some of her works, but very few (if any...I forget) goes into any detail on her work. I've written several times about her because I really love her work.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15140675211931598431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-62613062260396720912012-04-22T10:50:14.540-07:002012-04-22T10:50:14.540-07:00Thanks to Brooke for sharing this.Thanks to Brooke for sharing this.Vivien Zepfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10110439402332926588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-77838480681222785672012-04-22T09:05:22.379-07:002012-04-22T09:05:22.379-07:00If you did put them (the artist statements) in a b...If you did put them (the artist statements) in a burlap bag and hung them from a tree, would you need to post an artist statement about it?<br /><br />(Very sorry, couldn't resist).<br /><br />For most labels I want to see the title, artists, date completed, materials and techniques. Several exhibits I've been to recently didn't even have that information.<br /><br />If I'm drawn to a particular piece then a short paragraph about the inspiration is interesting to read. If that info isn't posted with the art I might look up the artist on-line to see if I can find out more about the art.Pam Geisel - For Quilts Sakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07209714611725110965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-70163755325901255002012-04-22T07:54:28.521-07:002012-04-22T07:54:28.521-07:00So, to sum up (in the words of Larry, Darryl, and ...So, to sum up (in the words of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl): Artist's Statements--"can't live with 'em; can't put 'em in a burlap bag and hang 'em from a tree."Brooke Athertonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-82852485417824697832012-04-22T07:33:15.334-07:002012-04-22T07:33:15.334-07:00Thank you to Brooke for writing and Lisa for posti...Thank you to Brooke for writing and Lisa for posting this. It's good to read what Brooke was thinking about when she was working on this piece. In this case, knowing the back story to the piece makes me appreciate it more. Knowing the details helps me understand the feelings that were being expressed during the process. They are all feelings that I can relate to. I don't have to look at it and remember the details, I can feel that we share those aspects of human life, and the processing of feelings through Art.Jeanne Marklinhttp://jeannemarklin.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-6052180146854056812012-04-22T07:12:08.838-07:002012-04-22T07:12:08.838-07:00Yes, Alison...I'm sorry if I didn't make i...Yes, Alison...I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear, I thought I did about it being an email between Brooke and I. This post is a follow up to my previous post about artist statements and work standing on its own and speaking to the viewer...just that! Both the artist statement and the viewers understanding and personal resonance are valid and important. <br /><br />My point here was that Brooke description was moving, enlightening and brought greater understanding....of course whatever the viewer brings to it is still important...it's just that sometimes an artist statement, rather than just a label with artists, and title can make a difference in the interaction. <br /><br />We too often dismiss something which makes us uncomfortable, or doesn't please our personal aesthetic....and often learning more or looking more deeply will change our minds or open our minds to greater possibility.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15140675211931598431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-30721594876812628982012-04-22T06:24:37.125-07:002012-04-22T06:24:37.125-07:00Please understand that the above is NOT an artist&...Please understand that the above is NOT an artist's statement--it was an email exchange after Lisa asked for the stories behind the work. I believe firmly the work should stand on its own. Period. When I read another artist's statement I appreciate ambiguity--it's a 3-way conversation after all, between the viewer, the work, and the artist. I do have two 25-word statements that go with the above works, neither of which talk about cancer or Katrina--that would limit them to a specific time and place. As a critic has said about my work "We don't have to know the specifics to recognize that each mark has a meaning, and a reason for being there."Brooke Athertonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325768748891153243.post-85894288445525165402012-04-22T05:06:23.259-07:002012-04-22T05:06:23.259-07:001400+ words is dauntingly long , containing way to...1400+ words is dauntingly long , containing way too much specific information. I read through it all just so I could comment here, but in real life, coming across this in front of a work in a gallery I'd opt out at the mention of friends with cancer, as I'd then sense this was probably very cathartic to write, but know I didn't need all specific details to appreciate the work. In our own pain or grief it is easy to feel that no one else could possibly understand what we're going through; but from experience I know every person, every family, has at least one of these problems or had a similarly shattering event happen somehwere in their own orbit. Even for this profundly emotional work, I think it is possible to construct a brief statement whose key words offer a pathway for emotional connection between artist and viewer. The title Brooke chose is an excellent starting point, and a statement of 100 words max could be perfect.Alison Schwabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07929118812159014248noreply@blogger.com