In September 2018, the Mt. Airy Art Garage (MAAG) held an open call for artists to express their concerns on the current state of our nation.
Artists of all disciplines were encouraged to submit a work to be on displayed for the show, “Divided Nation.” The exhibit reflected the current political and social climate: from voting rights, free press/freedom of speech, racial discrimination, immigration issues, equality, safety for women and all residents of the U.S.
My Artist Statement
I Am Listening is inspired by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, a British Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, author and politician. The multicolored hands represent inclusivity and breaking through fixed mindsets. The warm, pink tones infuse the solidarity of the protest signs with feminine energy. The repetitive I am listening to you, please listen to me grounds the image with its reciprocal plea, calling forth the still, small voice of calm in each of us.
I am particularly drawn to these words:
“Conversation–respectful, engaged, reciprocal, calling forth some of our greatest powers of empathy and understanding–is the moral form of a world governed by the dignity of difference.
Without a moral vision, we will fail. And that vision, to be shared, can only emerge from conversation–from talking to one another and listening to one another across boundaries of class, income, race and faith.”
– Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
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.
