Maestro— Show Ends Thursday, August 24
To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.
—Simone Weil, The Need for Roots (1949)
My current exhibit, Eye in the Sky, is in its last days. The show comes down from the walls of the West End Gallery at the end of the day this coming Thursday, August 24.
It’s been a satisfying show on many levels, including the Gallery Talk this past Saturday. We spoke at the Talk about the difference between online interactions and those that take place face to face in the gallery. I said that being able to see the other person in front of me, to read their faces and reactions, to hear their voice speaking their feelings about the work, is an invaluable thing for me. It often can even change how I see aspects of my work.
To demonstrate this point, I related a conversation that I had during the show’s opening. I shared it here the day after that opening but felt that it was worth sharing again today as the show winds down. It speaks volumes about how important these interactions are, as well what the work means to me and how it relates to my own need for rootedness.
This is from the blogpost of July 22, titled The Root:
One of the things that I have missed during the pandemic years was the interaction with viewers of my work and the feedback they give. Their views on the work often provide new perspectives which, in turn, can sometime change how I see a piece. It’s as though they, with their own stores of experience and circumstance different from my own, can sometimes see the work clearer than I.
And that is exciting for me.
I had such a moment last night. I was approached by a lovely woman named Angelique who told me she was visiting Corning with her sister. They had spent the day going up and down Market Street, in and out of the museums and shops. She told me she had been drawn into the gallery by my work in the window during one of her trips on the street and found herself entranced by the Red Tree. She told herself she had to come back during the opening to ask more about the Red Tree, even though she came without her sister who was worn out from their busy day.
She approached and asked me what the meaning was behind the Red Tree. I explained how it had come about and the several things it had come to symbolize for myself and others who shared their views on it.
She asked if I wanted to hear her thoughts on it. I said that I would love that.
She said simply, “It’s the Root.”
It stunned me a bit because the word set off all sorts of connections in my mind, as though it was catalyst for organizing frayed bits and pieces into a coherent concept. It made sense instantly.
I told her I liked that very much then she asked if wanted to know why she thought it was the Root. I said that nothing could please me more.
She explained that the Red Tree was almost always on a mound (she’s correct in this) which to her was like a root mound where you see only the plant above ground but below the earth its roots run deep and wide, creating and feeding everything– the houses, fields, etc.– that surrounds it.
It was the Root of all our connections to this world.
As I said, I was stunned. Angelique (don’t know if the spelling is right) had never saw my work nor read my blog but in a short time had cut through everything to see what was at the core– or root– of the work. I had never thought of the Red Tree’s roots being the unifying agent in this work and it made me look at every piece a bit differently. Maybe with even a bit more appreciation, if that is possible.
Redtree Times 