Residency- Burnsville, Talking Suitcases- Susan Armington- 4 Hrs
This week, Susan and I continued her Talking Suitcases workshop at the Ebenezer Care Center. We started as we usually do by setting up a cart with supplies. This week each group would work on new box responding to what inspires or motivates them. Some would finish their box from the previous week dealing with a favorite person or pet.
Our first group was energetic and lively. There was a new woman who I got a chance to sit down and work with. She enthusiastically shared that she had twelve children some of which were adopted. She spoke fondly of them and finished a box including her son and their dog pepper. I was able to circulate the room much more than in previous sessions. I revisited several individuals and helped them with their boxes. One of our goals was to decorate the top of each box and neatly write a description of their story on the bottom of each box. This morning group was nice. I'm glad to see people joining this far along.
The second session was a little unusual this week. Unfortunately, no one was able to attend. The weather was quite dreary and gray so I wondered if that had any affect. During this time, Susan had me work on my own box for fun. I was prompted to reflect on my favorite pet. I chose my cat Piper who lives in Texas with my mom. She is notorious for getting into cat brawls and retreating like a champ. She is also a mother of many kittens, all of which have found new homes.
To the right is the box I put together of Piper taking a cat nap in the daytime.
The third session was also relatively small in numbers. We only had one woman come with her daughter. This week, We were able to work in the art studio by our supply closet. It had been cleaned for us to use. This was super nice and made the set-up and clean-up very smooth. The woman who came to create this week worked on a new box with her daughter. Susan and I sat with them together and helped with some drawing. They illustrated a time when they would go searching for arrowheads at an old Indian barrel ground. The new box was the largest so far and we weren't able to finish it in one session. Next week we may pick up where we left off, although Susan was hoping to have our final shareing session next time. She wants to have a majority of each group attend so they can all see what has been made.
Residency- AVIVO ArtWorks- Jes Reyes- 5 Hrs
Last Thursday the Artworks studio was the busiest day I've experienced. Christi was out of the studio today so I helped facilitate her Thursday comics class. Jes of course helped the group stay on topic. I was also able to meet another intern named Miriam. She is a student at Macalester College. I was happy to work with someone else in the studio especially on such an energetic day. Together, Miriam and I unlocked the supply closet to gather materials for members. We both spoke with each member individually to make sure they were doing alright. We suggested colors when asked. I was pleased to meet a couple of new members who seemed excited to be a part of the studio. Overall it may have been busy, but I felt that I was able to meet with everyone in the studio at least twice. Midway through the day, Jes made some announcement of upcoming events and included my collage workshop. I was able to speak about the workshop as well. By the end of the day, the sign-up sheet was full. I'm getting more excited to expericence this workshop and will continue to prepare for its success.