Roots: Interconnectivity, Healing and Strength Exhibition
Call for Art!
Invitation to women artists
What do roots mean to you?
I invite women artists internationally to collaborate with me about what your roots mean to you and how it inspires you. My intention is to connect us with each other from around the globe. Over the years, my work has focused on environmental fragility, preservation, and interconnectedness and has been exhibited in sculpture parks, as well as solo and group exhibitions across the United States and internationally.
My inspiration – trees!
Standing among trees, are you in awe of their size, age, beauty, and ability to survive and their underground connection through roots? This huge ancient network supports and nourishes their species, as well as other plants in their community.
We humans can learn a lot from trees. There’s much that our own species can do to take care of our earth and environment – our home – as an imperative for survival. We’re connected to each other through our roots, our heritage, our families, and our migrations.
It will be inspiring for us to share how we feel about the linking and supporting power of roots as they keep us connected with each other, no matter where we live.
Roots: Interconnectivity, Healing, and Exhibition in 2023 at Dominican University, San Rafael, California
To Send Your Submissions:
Deadline for entry: December 31, 2022
· Send your thoughts, poems, drawings, photographs and/or digital images no larger than 1 mb, jpg, word doc, pdf, or video to: marguerite.elliot@gmail.com
· No images will be sold.
· If you want to send original material, please email me for my address. I am unable to return physical entries.
· You will receive full details about the event, and documentation of your contribution when it is exhibited.
· By sending me your digital images, the artist gives me permission to reproduce and print the artwork for the exhibition.
ENSURE YOUR MATERIAL ARRIVES BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2022
Incantations of Earth and Sky
My artist residency in Ireland
It was a privilege and an honor to be invited to an international artist residency this summer. After being banned from travel for the past year, I was especially excited to be in Ireland at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, County of Clare.
Five weeks flew by as I immersed myself in the unusual landscape, culture and folklore of the famous Burren area. My goal was to experiment with new ways of creating sculpture, using natural materials… and to collaborate with other artists. I shared housing with three artists from the States, and two wonderful Irish hosts. We did research outings together, cooked meals together, and shared our art together.
Our installation
I collaborated with a Dutch artist who currently teaches at James Madison University. Our public installation ‘Incantations of Earth and Sky’ is set up on the campus of Burren College of Art. The installation references traditional prayer trees and bushes located at ancient holy wells all over Ireland, as well as iconic traditions found around the world in Japanese, Native American, and Tibetan cultures. One passerby mentioned that it reminded him of pre-Celtic wisdom of the earth. The red and white rags flutter in the wind, the found objects root us to the earth.
The Hazelwood structure symbolizes our connection with the ancient Druids. A collaborative international installation, it harkens to both the underworld …that which is seen and that which is hidden. Irish mythology is rooted in what is below and unseen, but is nevertheless a felt presence.
Response from the President of Burren College of Art
We were so pleased that Mary Hawkes-Greene, President of Burren College of Art, expressed her appreciation of our installation:
“The Burren is indeed a powerful and ancient place, and it’s interesting that your response ‘Incantations of Earth and Sky’ makes visible the hidden history and beliefs of the place – and invites others to immerse themselves and spend a while in the structure and add their own hopes and prayers. The ephemeral nature of the installation, at the mercy of the elements and forces of nature, mirrors the period of uncertainty in which the world now finds itself, and invites a return to former times and the wisdom of the elders. The invitational nature of the installation, and the fact that it grew from a collaboration between artists who were previously unknown to each other, also reflects the spirit of the Burren and the ethos of the Burren College of Art. I warmly congratulate you and Dymphna on this moving piece, and hope that the spirit and wisdom of the Burren will continue to inspire you.”
If you are interested in purchasing a sculpture, please contact me at: marguerite.elliot@gmail.com.
Eco-Warriors
Now that the state of California has reopened, there’s nothing like spending a sunny afternoon outside with friends and like-minded folk, enjoying DJ-hosted live music, food, drinks, and sculpture… especially when it’s your own!
Last June 26, the City of San Leandro held an outdoor reception celebrating the recent installation of three of my Sentinel artworks in one of its central areas, the Hesperian Triangle, at the corner of 14th & 150th Streets. They’ll be on display for one year with the support of the city and the non-profit Local Artists Berkeley’s Temporary Art Program.
The inspiration for these three 15’ welded and forged steel structures is my view that Sentinels are protectors of the earth. They serve as beacons calling out to humankind to cherish and protect the inherent natural beauty of our planet (for more details, see “Sculpture – Outdoor” on this website).
San Leandro Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter commented that: “Public displays of art like the Sentinels are so important to San Leandro because they enrich the cultural life of our community.”
For me, it was simply a wildly awesome afternoon of fellowship, relaxation… and just plain fun!
The Hidden Life of Trees
I love this book! Who knew that trees could communicate with each other? Fascinating observations by a German forester learning all he could about how trees live, thrive, help each other out, compete for sunlight, live forever through their roots. My work has often incorporated seedpods, leaves, and stones. I feel they are in a way a shrine to a divine order of which I am not wholly aware. Seeds represent new life. Many species have been lost in the past 50 years due to our man made climate change. As I was reading this book, I was in awe of the vast interconnectedness us all.
Work In Progress…..a peek into my studio….
My friend Cynthia had not been to my studio for over a year due to Covid. She shot these photos as she was winding her way through to my house. Many works in progress …getting ready for. 4 group shows in the next couple of months. What a blessing to have the time and ability to create. Stay tuned for upcoming exhibitions.
Buffalo Creek Art Center
Grateful to have been invited to participate last year in the artist residency at at Buffalo Creek Art Center in Gardnerville, Nevada. It has great facilities, in a beautiful location, with wonderful people……a perfect two month residency during Covid. I got lots of work done and am thrilled to have my twelve foot Nevada Sentinel: The Ground Upon Which We Stand installed in the Buffalo Creek Sculpture Park. Check out the creation and installation process in this video.