They till, plant, weave, paint, sculpt and write.
They work the land through creative economics, architecture, soul, sunlight and cycle. What is inclusive and naturally sustainable? Art.
It isn’t difficult to see how a portrait can, ultimately, help to work the land. Imagine an acre. Imagine it on canvas, painted or sketched on an article of clothing by a member of the community that works that acre. Then sell the portrait to buy the seeds and other resources, further enabling that region. This could happen anywhere.
But where do you get the start-up supplies…and how do you get them to the people who can use them? E-mails and on-line forms to potential industry participants that might be interested in donating the chickens so that there can be eggs for hatching, have gone unanswered; and many humanitarian organizations have their own projects demanding their concentration, so, thus far, borrowing their on-the-ground advantage, where access to local talent is concerned, has been unachievable.
Part of “Project Artwork’s” goal is to make it achievable, so that the land can be worked through creative economics, architecture, soul and sunlight. We turn to the rainforest for medicine, most of us not even thinking about or realizing it due to a lack of public awareness. Organic healing and prosperity, by way of the “starving artist”, have been a natural resource—untapped. His or her talent is the one natural resource, even natural wonder that should, actually, be used.
Two summers ago, my family visited an “historical farm” in Pennsylvania. The experience was eye-opening. Those, like me, who have been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the high-tech future, are apt to gloat when visiting this place of calm ingenuity—forgive the understatement. What they didn’t have, they made the most of. They considered every possibility for successfully meeting every challenge and even grew their own dishes. We need to start growing our own dishes again.
Artisans are already working toward organic healing and prosperity, but they set the price. Project Artwork doesn’t. Though this may seem like an attempt to detract from the work of artisans for themselves and their regions as those arrangements now exist, wearable art is intended to provide even more funding, and without administrative costs and “awareness-raising” events, especially for the most desperate regions. Spirit is victim when impoverished populations are overlooked for what they, assumedly, can or cannot do...leading to what they, ultimately, do or do not have. Another natural resource, all-too-often overlooked—but tough to kill, is pride. How many times has one been asked to sacrifice their pride, or not let it get in the way? How many times has it proven part of the means of survival?
We have a line and a circle. Both lead to the same destination.
