The arts program here was started a year ago by the fantastic Liz Mortati, now the Program Manager.

Artists are engaged in painting, paper mache, textile arts, sculpture, installation, film, exhibits, zines, book arts, photography, writing and text, signage, made-up language, community projects, interactive transparency and mylar shows, celebrity makeovers, and more! Their gallery was simply beautiful.
Here is Daniel Fuller, Director and Curator of the Institute of Contemporary Art, admiring an album & album cover bird mobile:

Tom Selleck made the scene…

As well as President Obama:

I was particularly drawn to a series of silkscreens prompted by the question “If your food could do anything, what would it do…?”

I am changed!
I’d like to thank Jane, Sophie, Devan, Abbott, Abby, Paulina, Steven, Justin, Liz, Sean and the numerous volunteers for making such a delightful workshop possible.
And a particular thanks to Adriane Herman for the introduction to The Art Department and the general whirligiging around Portland

Opening Reception: Friday, September 7th, 6-9pm. The show runs through October 25th

This is a benefit exhibition supporting my upcoming arts exchange project and teaching residency with La Isla Foundation in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua this November.

La Isla Foundation is dedicated to fighting Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, among agricultural workers throughout Nicaragua, primarily in the sugarcane industry. They provide vital assistance to these communities, in which more than 70% of men and 30% of women have died from CKD.

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They work with health officials and researchers to provide better medical treatment for the sick, study the causes of the epidemic, and support impacted families. By providing direct aid, the tools for self-empowerment, and legal recourse when warranted, La Isla is instrumental in improving working conditions and protecting human rights.

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La Isla supports and organizes workers and their families through education programs, health initiatives, and economic development projects. Recent projects include the renovation of an elementary school, the re-opening of a formerly abandoned local health clinic, and the development of a sustainable agriculture program in community gardens.

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Through the Marmalade Project, La Isla trains local women to produce and market marmalade made from abundant, locally grown fruits. All participants in the program are widows who have lost their husbands to chronic renal insufficiency and are struggling to provide for their families.

Some of this paper I’ve paired with old portraits:

These were found at the exquisite ‘Friday Market’ on the outskirts of Baroda.

This is a sprawling maze of live goats, tin charms, chai carts, torn saris, wooden game pieces, broken toys and, most lovely for me, old photographs.

Scavenging for mid-century photographic ephemera outside of The States is quite challenging, our Kodachrome generation being unparalleled, so this particular market was really a gem. (On a side note however, it seems India’s snapshot culture of today is certainly catching up).

The upcycling at Friday Market also deserves some attention. Here are some wonderful hand-stitched oil-can cozies:

I experimented with using some of the found objects as stamps, such as these keys:


Moving South, in Fort Cochi, Kerala, I picked out some paper goods at Junk Junction (Kumbarramukku, if memory serves).. Looking through newspapers, game cards, old books and ledgers, this passerby wanted to document a dusty picture of a famous 70’s movie star:

The language there, Malayalam, has a beautiful alphabet, and I was quite inspired by it.

I was in India for a number of teaching projects, as well as dumpster diving, and the scraps came in handy for those, too. In this bookmaking workshop at Chhaap, students rummaged through a rag bag donated by a local fashion designer, Rupali. They used the pieces to customize their book covers.

It was an honor to have Jyoti Bhatt, one of India’s most renowned artists and photographer of Indian ephemeral art, among my students.

In a nearby school run by the organization Koshish Milap, I brought in scraps of handmade paper and fabric in all colors and shapes. It was a great ice-breaker for them to teach me the colors in Gujarati (new to me), and having a full-spectrum palette easily accessible helped them to jump right in and start collaging (new to them).

The kids were overjoyed and seemingly not intimidated at the process of building their own beautiful compositions out of scraps.

Thanks again, India, for all the inspiration and generosity. See you next time.

photo credits: Shannon Holman

We cut out and decorated letters for a photo project to thank the donors of last year’s fundraiser. For all the donors names, please see The Thank You Project.

In the watercolor workshop, they learned about primary and secondary colors, how to mix colors, and how different ratios of water and pigment have different effects.

A drawing collaboration in an accordian book between myself and a talented young lady, Jahida…

In the courtyard, we shared paints and pencils working on the Thank You Project (you can see their lovely new generator in the background).
Everyday, after morning classes, lunch is made in their kitchen and served to the 221 students at their desks.
After lunch, there is a supervised time for the younger grades to learn how to wash their hands and brush their teeth.

An orderly line-up for time at the sink…

Toothbrushes are marked with every child’s name and distributed.

I was extremely impressed with how hard-working the teachers and staff were to create this structured time for the health and dignity of the children. For many of the students, it is the only time of the day dedicated to a nutritious meal and personal hygiene.
It made me so happy to see the leaders of the school taking a little time out for fun and creativity.

photo credit: Shannon Holman