Maine is Still a "Wicked Good" State!

Factory
Detail from current sculpture that is in progress (completion expected this month!)
by Shanna Wheelock

That there is REAL snow!
April Fool's Day 2011 Nor'Easter

"The morning after"

Maine has been in the news a lot lately. I know what you are thinking....that snowstorm on April Fool's Day must have been a joke. But no, it wasn't. The state was pretty much enveloped by the white stuff and our school, like many others, was closed. Yes indeed, a snow day in April.

Sadly, the other media attention that Maine has been getting is not a joke either (oh how I wish it was!!!)

By only 38% of the vote, Paul LePage was elected governor of our state. He took office three months ago and since that time has continued to stir controversy with his demeaning language and archaic "roll-back-the-progress" approach.

I am proud to live in Maine, an environmental gem of a state, full of pride, hard workers, and a rich history in the arts. Even with all the hoopla that folks are seeing in the national news, I hope they remember that Maine is more than this one person on a power-trip who is seemingly trying to tear us down.

I have lived here all my life except for one year in the south. The one year that I spent away from my birth-state, I longed to return. Luckily, my California-blooded, philosopher/poet-husband was on-board with the move northeast. No regrets, and we count our blessings everyday to live in a place that is so majestically beautiful.

Here are some of Maine's highlights:

Mountains, fields, lakes, rivers, forests, ocean, desert, bogs, islands.....Hiking, fishing, skiing, kayaking, camping....museums, galleries, theaters, live music.....spring, summer, fall, winter....music and art festivals, county fairs....fine dining and "wicked good" diners....shopping (malls or quaint downtowns)....

And most importantly...a diverse and interesting mix of people who openly share their cultures and passions.

Maine lures people from all types of backgrounds. The inspiration found in the natural environment, as well as osmosis from being around other cool folks, brings us here and keeps us here.

Our state boasts an impressive list of artists, both past and present. Visit the Portland Museum of Art, Farnsworth Art museum, or any number of galleries to view historical master works and work by the up-and-comers.

To name just a few of the visual artists who have found inspiration in Maine:

Andrew Wyeth, Neil Welliver, Marseden Hartley, Louise Nevelson, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, George Bellows, Rockwell Kent, Fairfield Porter, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

If you want to view some of the contemporary works by artists who are creating here, visit the PMA biennial this spring. I am especially excited to see the work of two artists in this exhibit whom I admire: my former sculpture professor from USM, Michael Shaughnessy, and my current mentor in my MFA program at Heartwood College of Art, Kim Bernard.

And now let me tell you why I am so damn proud, more so than ever, to be an artist in Maine.

When LePage took it upon himself to remove Judy Taylor's mural about the labor history in Maine from the Department of Labor, artists spoke-up, loudly!

I am grateful to Natasha Mayers and Robert Shetterly for helping to organize the movement to return the mural to its intended home, for bridging the arts community with other workplace and cultural organizations, for working tirelessly to "right" LePage's wrongdoing, and for inspiring so many others to have a voice and to fight for what they believe in.

LePage has attacked on several fronts, but this time he picked a fight with the wrong group of folks. Most people who know artists know of their intelligence, ability to conjure creative solutions, intense passion, heightened sense of ethics, justice, pride, and empathy for humanity. Top this off with resiliency and a steadfast streak of tenacity...and you have a recipe for a movement that can, and will, put our state back on course.

Like so many other places in our world right now, Maine people are rising-up to preserve dignity and pride; in the workplace, in the home, in our souls. It's a battle worth fighting, and we won't give up!

Press-Conference and Rally to Return the Labor Mural
Monday, April 4, 2011, 12:00 p.m. noon
Hall of Flags, State House, Augusta, Maine
for an impressive list of speakers go to: http://mainelabormural.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-to-sponsors-and-speakers-april-4_02.html

Links:
Labor Mural official website
Draw-a-thon Blog
Maine's Majority Website

A Life Without Art?

Tapestry in progress

Rack of greenware drying VERY slowly

Four bases of a sculpture that is in progress

I'm not huge Sci-fi fan by any stretch, nor am I a fan of action-packed cinema with gun-wielding outcasts and zooming car chases, but I did see such a movie a few years back that has had a long and lasting impression on me.

Equilibrium is a futuristic movie where a post third-world-war society has deemed that human emotions are the root cause of conflict and members of society are mandated to take an emotion-quelling drug. In the movie, art is viewed as dangerous and as a result is banned in all forms: poetry, music, painting, etc. The protagonist is a cleric and government official who misses his daily injection and begins to experience emotion and question his own morality. He eventually partners with the underground to overthrow his own government.

(see Trailer for this movie)

What struck me most about this movie was the cold feeling of a society without art. People all looked the same, acted the same, hum drum, emotionless, monotone. Imagination and color, joy, and individuality were completely stripped.

Is this how life would look without art?

I start to go through the things in my mind that are influenced by artists. The list is long. Imagine if you will, everything we experience in our daily routines that had the touch of a creative person, and then take those things away from existence.

- The clock, lamp, small table beside my bed that holds the alarm clock, and my favorite chair (furniture designer)
-The clothes we wear, wedding dress, work uniform (fashion designer)
-The house we live in, buildings we work in, skyscrapers in cities (architects)
- Music (musicians, singers, sound engineers, instrument designers)
- The automobile that gets me to work (automotive designer)
-Television, cinema, live theater (performing artists (actresses/actors), screenwriters, camera technicians, directors, set designers, commercial writers)
- Food (packaging designer)
-Billboards, calendars, posters, wedding photos, advertisement (photographers)
-Museums, galleries (artists of all types)
-Toys (designers)
-Computer games (artists, musicians)
-Restaurants (culinary arts)
-Dance shows, ballet, the macarena, music videos etc. (choreographers, dancers, musicians)

The list goes on and on. I look all around me and it is near impossible to identify anything that is not influenced by an artist or creative person of some sort. Even nature, with her own beauty and design is often landscaped by a visionary.

Imagine, if you will, the above list of items removed from your life, and then you might have an idea of what life would look and feel like without the influence of artists.

I feel fortunate to be able to live in a world where color and imagination are part of our everyday existence. I love that I can visit a museum and see works of great artists who lived before my time, or that I can turn on the radio and listen to works by musicians that inspire me to create my own works in fiber and clay. I love that I can walk into a store and feel the texture of different fabrics and pick out clothing ensembles that fit my personality. I love that I can attend live theater and watch a story unfold with incredible choreography, moving music, and a fantastic light show.

And most importantly, I love that I have the freedom to be an artist.

I am grateful that everyday of my existence is somehow influenced by the arts and creativity, whether I am reading my husband's poetry, teaching, creating my own work, or viewing/listening to the work of another artist. I am grateful that I am surrounded by people who appreciate the arts, who understand their importance in our lives, and who have consistently and enthusiastically supported the endeavors of myself and my husband as we live lives as artists.

Art brings a deeper meaning and purpose to all of our lives. It helps us to design our own individuality with the choices that we make in the music we listen to, the paintings we hang on our walls, the furniture we pick for our home, the clothes we wear to various functions, and the way we plate our edibles when hosting guests for dinner.

We are each like a palette with several colors of paint waiting to be created into our own unique artwork based on how much we use of each color, the type of brush stroke, and where it is applied on the canvas.

We all begin with the same ingredients, but each possess a different way of expressing and that is what makes us interesting, passionate, unique individuals creating our own life masterpiece.

Praise to ART!