Lanesboro Arts invites community members to the capstone event for Martha Bird’s residency, a farewell potluck, discussion, and sculpture reveal on September 8th from 6-8 pm at the Volleyball Picnic Shelter between the Lanesboro Community Center and the Sons of Norway Lodge.
Over a shared meal, Bird will unveil the temporary outdoor sculpture she has made from freshly harvested local willow. The willow used will be what community participants learned to gather and process during the event at Eagle Bluff on August 27th! Because this sculpture is made from such a fresh material, as it stands it will eventually shrink and loosen, responding both to its environment and its own material structure. The Sculpture reveal will be at 7:15.
Bird will also engage in a community discussion about creating, wellness, and her time in Lanesboro. Attendees who also joined us for the community discussion on August 20th are encouraged to return and share what they have created since, and discuss their experiences with creating and its impact on their well being. Those who were not present for this first discussion are more than welcome to show and share, as well. Bring creative works at any stage of completion that you have worked on in the last month, and share your work and your observations about the experience of creating!
Lanesboro Arts is proud to feature weaver, sculptor, nurse, and mental health advocate Martha Bird as the Lanesboro Arts Artist in Residence from August 15th – September 12th, 2022.
During her residency, Bird will create and install a temporary outdoor sculpture made from fresh willow. Grounded in the potentiality for basketry to serve as a source of physical, mental, and communal healing, Bird intends to address the mental health of individuals and communities through art and art based interactions.
Click here to learn more about Martha Bird and her Residency.
About Martha Bird
Educated as a Public Health and Board Certified Holistic RN, Martha’s vision is to “use my own art and process to integrate community involvement and utilize my knowledge to empower people to follow their passion and include it in their life, so they can be as well and healthy as possible.” Martha uses basketry techniques as a starting point to create expansive conceptual sculpture that both carry forward the traditional craft and challenge its utilitarian assumptions. Her work draws from her own professional expertise and life experiences to explore the human body, manifestations of trauma, and concepts of resilience, energy and growth. Martha has brought her meditative practice and depth of knowledge to lecture audiences across the United States, and her work has been featured in art exhibitions and collections across Minnesota and throughout the country.
The Lanesboro Artist Residency Program is supported by the Jerome Foundation.
