Spring at last. I look at the tulips slowly emerging from the soil and think: "It's Showtime." No kidding. And not just for the mourning doves mating on our terrace or the hosta lace appearing from beneath the snow. I'm actually going to have my own show this fall at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH! There they will be - four years of Compost Compositions, priced, framed, curated and composed. At first I was unsure when the exhibit director suggested I show my work like photographs are usually seen: printed on paper, framed and behind glass. I had liked the immediacy and simplicity of canvas. But then I saw them framed and understood. Wow, these really are cool. Once again, compost is my teacher, reminding me to be aware of my assumptions. For me, canvas was the point - an invitation to literally 're-frame' my beliefs about art and how things are 'supposed' to work. More than just immediacy, canvas seemed simpler, with fewer materials and less energy. But then I handled all the cardboard and tape and compared this to the small packet needed to ship ten times as many prints on paper that I could then have framed by local artisans... and my thinking changed about the waste and I realized the trade-offs inherent in the very idea of a show at all. I asked: Is it good enough? Am I good enough for all this? Then I look at the work and experience an uncontainable surge of energy. I see that the canvas is actually too simple, too much like a poster I could order from CVS. The paper, frames and glass give this gorgeous garbage a presence that it deserves and I have earned. Am I allowed
to say such things? Yes. Because this work celebrates the convergence of creativity and climate action and in the process inspires joy and new ways of being not just for me, but maybe for you as well. We will only know, though, if it gets out there...So get ready. It's Showtime! |
Lyn Swett Miller
reframing the narrative, one day, one image at a time Let's ReFrame: By Degrees
A place where photographer Lyn Swett Miller considers wonder, joy and transformation in a complex world. Archive
September 2021
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