The Mt. Airy Art Garage (MAAG) held an open call for artists for their first exhibition of 2022.”Lifeblood” focuses on the indispensable factor or influence that gives something its strength and vitality.
My work “Love In Action” illustrates how I have come to understand this word, not in the generic, floaty, greeting card way, but as the ground upon which I orient my life. My lifeblood, which supplies me with strength and vitality. I believes this also has universal application in our community life together, and is a way to begin breaking through the polarizing, “me vs. them” mindset which is gripping our nation and world. The multi-layer, glazed watercolor background symbolizes our chaotic inner and outer lives. The word LOVE, seen from a distance, does not reveal the action words woven through each letter, as it simply reads as decoration. Stepping closer, the entire piece comes into focus.
This 2-step visual recognition is my attempt to illustrate the challenge of truly inhabiting this word.
Mt. Airy Art Garage (MAAG) is a nonprofit Arts Hub founded and driven by a dynamic group of professional artists. MMAG provides communal space for creativity, collaboration, and self-actualization, while utilizing creative expression as an instrument for social change. MAAG serves as an incubator for professional and emerging artists who work in creative partnerships with local adults and youth to spread the spirit of art, community, and sustainable living throughout Northwest Philadelphia. MMAGfoster civic engagement and community revitalization through the arts, while serving as a center for children and adults to learn, find safe space, and rejoice in the unique creativity that springs from us all.
