me arts ed

An opportunity for you and your students

On my visit to MECA (Maine College of Art) last month I mentioned in the blog post that I met several people. One of them was artist Asherah Cinnamon. We had a delightful conversation and I learned more about the artwork she is presently creating.

Asherah is involved in a collaborative contemporary art installation project called FRIENDSHIP IN HARD TIMES. She extends an invitation for you and your students to participate in this project that is scheduled to open in June at the University of New England’s Art Gallery on Stevens Ave. It will be on display at its Annual Sculpture Garden Show through September.

The project explores the concept of friendship in contemporary times. Using strips cut from hundreds of brightly colored recycled plastic bags, the installation was inspired in part by the friendship bracelets used in many communities today.

The installation celebrates the traditional female practices of braiding, and of
collaborating to develop a work of art larger than any one person might create. The project encourages creative recycling and invites groups of people to work together, exploring the role of friendship in contemporary life through handwork, discussion, and writing.

YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE in any or all of these ways:

1. Collect brightly colored or printed, clean plastic bags of any thickness or size.
2. Gather a group for a demonstration and work session of cutting and simple braiding for the installation.  All participants who wish to be named will be acknowledged in the literature of the project.
3. Write (a story, poem, song) about a time when someone was a friend to you in hard times, and or a time when you were a friend during their hard times.
4. Donate a copy of your writing to the project, and/or take turns sharing what you wrote with each other in a group. Collected writings will be on view at the exhibition in June, and eventually in a project blog.
5. Sign up to help install the final work during the second week of June.
6. Become a sponsor. Sponsors will be acknowledged in all project literature an events.

Maine artist, Asherah Cinnamon, BFA (MECA’08), MSW (BU’79).
For more information, to help, or to set up a group demonstration and work
session contact Asherah at acinnamon@meca.edu
Earlier works by the artist may be seen by clicking here.