Summer ends with a Blue Moon

While the summer flew by it left good memories and lessons about the value of exploring, friends, fishing, free time, leopard frogs, crickets, snakes and countless other examples of the magic of the north woods. It has been six months since graduation. My MFA work was included in three shows this summer, and I will participate in three auctions this fall to support the photographic arts. The work of scouting for exhibition calls and writing proposals is as much work [if not more because I find writing a chore] as producing new work. I continue to explore questions of identity relating to hospitality, land use and domestic life. I am been reading Moyra Davey's Mother Reader, Mothering and rereading Moyra Davey's The Long Life Cool White because the work resonates with my interests and practice.  Domestic space and mothering naturally came into focus as a research subject because childcare fills my days.
An equally important question I toss about regularly is how relationships to one's artistic work, monetary labor, family obligations and sense of self form plurality that we try to define in a normative form. In this calculus of valuing plurality I spend much of my time these days directing my child's care and development. Children need constant attend and direction even when my objective is to provide free space for her to explore and learn through her own experiences. I set up activities in the school house and around the clearing. She migrates between them playing and entertaining herself learning all the while. This strategy allows me pockets of time in her shadow to read, reflect and explore the ideas that will become my next work. The simplicity of my life in its routines provides mindfulness of how present our actions are in making the space we occupy. I am still very active and following a few dozen interests, but I resolve to occupy my mind with useful play and see the contagious nature of gratitude and humanity [fully aware of the evils of power relations especially in the present political currents]. Staying away from crazy makers helps too [ha-ha].
My practice of questioning used to deconstruct and devalue but now I use questions to build. My projects are built around the desire to explore human agency, social relationships, taboos and the meaning of the photographic. Yes, I am still interested in lots of tangents. The taboo of access has me photographing barriers—gates, signs, rocks and other forms of obstruction. Free stuff also intrigues me. The stuff people are willing to part with but still assign value fascinates me in our commodity rich culture. I will keep you posted. Cheers from the woods, m.