The Log Project

Posted • .higgins Today is the last day of our NEA/Iowa Arts Council grant period -- wow, time flies. I wanted to show you side-by-side the codex pages we commissioned from two local artists. I already had the chance to show you the one on the right by Kira T. Little Sky, which she painted with the native flowers planted at Brucemore after derecho--the colors are just GORGEOUS and make me feel hopeful somehow. We can recover from this disaster -- and by extension, we can save our planet from climate change -- with precisely this vision. Kira works in the garden at Brucemore, where she retrieved this slice for us. I am so glad we got to commission a piece from her. I love her work and her!
The one on the left is by Mel Andringa, who Alan met in the Cherry Building where he was taking ceramics classes & where Mel has a studio & home. Mel makes incredible art with puzzles--either using puzzles or making them. Here, he has created a kind of puzzle -- one slice carved into chainsaw blades, a strong memory of the sounds after the storm when chainsaws buzzed all hours of the day to free us from felled trees. Also symbolic of taking from the environment--commodifying it.
The other is a gear, representing making things from nature. They are from the same log, but don't quite complete the cycle perfectly by "fitting" like a puzzle should, which of course, symbolizes our predicament.
Nature is now cutting itself down in these horrific storms, in a cycle we set in motion.
I love the contrasting visions here because BOTH are so crucial in recovery from disaster and in not giving up on saving our planet from climate catastrophe. We need to examine where we are and plant seeds for the future, which requires hope.
The world as it is & the world as it could be.

Join us this Thursday at the Matthew 25 Mega Market from 4-8pm at 437 G Ave NW. Participate in Log Project activities and tell us your experience during the Derecho. We look forward to seeing you there!

The effort to understand the causes behind and meaning of climate change is not limited to any one discipline. Get to know the work of philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò understand how social justice, environmental justice, and history are inextricably linked. https://buff.ly/3nkmQn3