Here You Are is in the Smithsonian American Art and Portrait Gallery collection and is currently on exhibition at the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The show is called “AMERICAN STORIES: Artists’ Books from the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.”
Around 2000, The Baxter Library at the Portland School of Art/Maine College of Art digitized the collection and the card catalog was replaced. I was teaching a class in Interdisciplinary Design at the time and my students each took an empty card catalog drawer and composed a sculpture in the drawer and returned it to the library. I joined in and made Wonderland, a book sculpture made with my artist and mother-in-law, Julie Suchecki, an expert miniaturist.
Last week, to my delight twenty five years later, it remains casually sprawled out on a table in the new library—the Joanne Waxman Library at the Maine Collage of Art. Many thanks to Mono Moore, work-study student at the library who showed me “Wonderland”! After communicating with Mono, I learned that there is an interesting overlap between us. The last image in the gallery is Mono’s.(Lauri)
This is an ongoing series of drawings that we have been collaborating on for the past few months. I’m doing the initial sketch and inking, and Lauri the color. At first, I wanted to call the series “Wake Up & Live!”. Then I thought it could be “Can’t Make This Shit Up!” But after looking into things, we decided on “Dopamine-Trap Drawings.”
The depictions are observed and truthful, and have been seen on the 15 minute walks that I take after every meal, and in airports, at the dentist office, in restaurants, while on the highway, etc. We also have traveled a lot this year: Hawaii, Maine (3 times!), Washington DC, Santa Cruz, the Sierras. And it doesn’t matter, sadly, the addiction is everywhere.
It’s so disturbing, that I did some research I found out that a small dopamine hit occurs every time our devices are pulled out. That “smart phones are the cigarettes and apps are the nicotine.” (Peter)
Here’s a link to an article by Vivian Hir in The MIT Review:
“Smart Phones Are The New Cigarettes“
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
by Cal Newport
After doing a lot of plain weaving, which has yielded some nice napkins and dish towels, we decided to warp and dress a 4-harness “Danish weave for towels” pattern from Worst’s FOOT-POWER LOOM WEAVING (1947 printing). This book was my Mother’s when she studied weaving at Skidmore in the early 1950’s. Warp & weft threads are 3/2 Pearl Cotton. (Peter)
