idea #7

It's a new year and I have been spending a lot of time on some more robust ideas than the ones I started with. For several years I have been exploring work at the intersection between art and civic life. It has finally taken some shape in the form of a collaboration with two urban planners, whose work is heavily data driven, and another artist, with whom I regularly collaborate. We are making our way toward a long term vision in which we use population data, data visualizations, and mapping to inform a public engagement process. What does that mean? Well, organizations and governmental bodies often use data about their constituents to drive the way development is planned. We feel that this process is missing a component of humanity, that engages in a meaningful way with the public that stands to be affected by these decisions. We want to make the public process component of urban planning more exciting and attractive to participate in, and therefor more meaningful to planners. 

This one has been a long time coming and it is such a big idea that it needed time to crystalize. Now that we are more clear about what we are building I'm excited to say that I anticipate more and frequent news on this idea soon. Stay tuned.

idea #6

This afternoon I was talking with my brother about our career plans. Though I identify as an artist, I have lately wondered about becoming a firefighter, his girlfriend is a doctor, our dad is a teacher, my husband is a biologist. We have the sort of jobs that are easily called upon by kids when they are asked what they want to be when they grow up, like action figures. These tiny pieces of injection-molded plastic, formed into a set shape, that imply a life, an action. These are usually made in huge quantities to represent a widely known figure to a large population of fans. My brother is a city planner and I was thinking about how absurd it seemed to make an action figure of a city planner. I like absurd. So here it is...

IDEA #6 Make a series of action figures of your own family.

A small representation of each person, part of a set, that will then only be distributed back to your family.

idea #5

I say this with as much humility as possible, knowing full and well that that following is true (and in no way means that I think I am somehow exempt from making mistakes in my relationships): I am great at giving relationship advice. How do I know this? Because I read about relationships as a primary resource for research for my own life and my art practice constantly. And because friends, loved ones, and acquaintances come to me for advice A LOT. In addition, because I spend so much time reading, thinking about and discussing relationships, I'm fairly adept at getting to the nuances of what makes them work, for myself and for other people. I have chosen a particular kind of way to structure the relationships I have in my life so that I can continuously build them, and as such, I have vested interest in finding and growing strong bonds with those I choose to love.

I have used the online dating website OK Cupid to find people to talk with about alternative relationship structures and their approaches. You could call it curiosity, but in art we call this research. Sometimes people, strangers, mostly men (who am I kidding, it has only ever been men, but I suppose there's always the possibility that someday....but I digress), ask me to talk to them about their relationship problems. I have rarely done this in person, but again, for the interest of curiosity and research for project ideas, I have occasionally met on here or there for a coffee and conversation. I have often prescribed books to read, advised on conversation starters, and given my personal read on their descriptions of arguments, conversations, and opinions of their wives, girlfriends, partners and so on. So, I have this idea...
 

IDEA #5: NEW PROJECT: Whenever someone asks me for relationship advice on OK Cupid I agree but on the condition that they meet me in person and fill out an Advice Request Form,

which I will create to facilitate our interaction. I will agree to keep the form anonymous if requested and will agree to store it for 10 years, as one would with taxes or other data.