Day Two: My Soul Inside

I am not the color of my eyes
I am not the skin on the outside
I am not my age, I am not my race, my soul inside is all light.
I am light.   - India Arie

We begin by presenting the morning gift.  Today's gift came from the amazing Dr. Sarah Seidelmann.  Sarah is a physician turned shamanic healer and life coach.  Sarah sent this message to the girls:





Dear Mighty Girls,

I want to invite you to CREATE every single day! If you do that in you will most certainly change the world by leaving your beautiful mark on it. Journal! Scribble! Braid! Bake! Dance! And remember to hunt for beauty because it's everywhere:). You were born to FREAK. You were born to express yourself in 1 million different ways. In ways that the earth has never seen before. So go forth and be art!
P.S. With the Beasties by your side there is nothing you cannot do, be or create:).

In peace and pachyderms,
Sarah 

The girls were intrigued to learn that there is also a Beasties App!

After the girls explored their morning gift, we got back to work on our art journals, adding painted backgrounds and textures.  We will be adding more layers with the use of prompts in the days to come.

The journals were placed in the sun to dry, then we began our second project...Mala beads!

Mala beads, or prayer beads are used by many different religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Sikhism and Bahai Faith.  They are used to mark repetitions of prayers, mantras, chants, devotions and can also be used to count one’s blessings.

  The number of beads in the strand are symbolic.  A 27 bead mala is common in China.  In Tibetan Buddhism, they use 108 beads because a mantra is recited 100 times and the extra 8 beads are dedicated to all sentient beings.



Beads are made from many different sources, wood, seeds, bone, and precious stones.  Sandalwood malas are common as are beads made from rudraksha seed.  Rudraksha are the seed from a sacred tree which is a species of Ficus religiosa, or the Bodhi tree which is believed to be the tree that Buddha sat under when he attained enlightenment.

In June I went to New York to see "Count Your Blessings", an exhibition of prayer beads at the Rubin Museum.  I took photos for inspiration and jotted down some notes to share with the girls.

Dear Girls,

Try to spend some time alone with your Moms tonight.  If you can, go for a walk and see if you can find any feathers or flowers to press into your journal.  Listen carefully to what your mom has to say...listen for wisdom.

See you tomorrow!

Day One: The Whispering of Grasses

There are two important days in a woman's life;
the day she is born and the day she finds out why.  
- Terry Tempest Williams

Early this morning, the meadow was wet with dew.  The cicadas were already singing and the light was spectacular.

I asked, "Who among us has Native American ancestors?"  I saw a hand slowly raise.  SO...I asked Mighty G to do the honor of smudging our tipi.

We formed a circle and began our introductions then we presented the morning gift.

Today's gift come's from Dr. Steven Farmer of Earth Magic.  He is a world renowned author, shaman and psychotherapist.  He sent the girls each a set of Spirit Animal cards.  His stories and cards have received 5 national awards!   Dr. Farmer and his team at Earth Magic would like to send this message to the Mighty Girls:

"Never forget everyone who has ever fulfilled a dream also had a fear.  They proceeded in spite of their fear and you must as well!  Find powerful role models as you travel that beautiful journey called life.  These cards will help your inner wisdom and intuition grow!

Blessings,
The Earth Magic team"

Thank you, Dr. Farmer.  The girls were delighted and immediately removed the packaging so they could explore the cards.






















One the first day we always begin prepping our art journals.  The art journal is the foundation project for our work together and it's a whole lot of fun.  It's also a wonderful tool for introspection and self expression.

While our journals dried in the sun, we took a snack break then went for a nature walk.

Dear Girls,

Tonight try to take a wisdom walk with your mom.  See what you can find out about your grandmothers and great grandmothers.  Ask your mom this question:

"What is the truest thing you know?"

Tomorrow we will be adding to our journals and working on our mala beads.

See you soon!

Let the Wild Rumpus StART: Mighty Girl Art Summer 2014

On Monday August 4th, the wild rumpus starts!  I can hardly wait.  If you have not yet sent your daughter's registration forms, please do so.  You can print and fill out both forms  (registration & disclaimer) located here. 

If you have more than one daughter enrolled, I need forms for each of them.  (Even if your daughter has joined in the past, we still need the forms.)  If you are unable to mail them in time, please have them with you when you arrive on Monday August 4th. 

Drop off location: The Meadow

(camp begins at 9 am)  *Directions to the campsite and studio, as well contact info have been sent via email. 

The entrance will be marked with a garland of vintage aprons.  Chelsea or I will be in the meadow to greet you at the tipi.  If you arrive early, feel free meet us in the Mighty Tipi.

On days when the weather does not permit us to raise the tipi, we will meet in the art studio.

Pick up location: The Art Studio 

(pick up is at noon)


Dear Mighty Girls,
In the coming days, I would like you to look around for some tiny objects that have symbolic meaning to you.  We will be incorporating these objects into a our work next week.  Think small, like a button from grandma's sweater, a tiny stone that you found on vacation, a feather, leaves, sticks, dried flowers…that sort of thing.

Don't forget to bring your water and a healthy snack.  Dress for mess!

**On the last day of camp we have a closing ceremony and a pizza party.  We would love our moms to join us during this special time.  Closing Ceremony begins at 11 am. 

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy

Wendy Cook is a visual artist whose disciplines include painting, photography, book arts, assemblage, and jewelry.  She has been exhibiting her art since 1986.  She has been published in the US, Canada and the UK.  Her work has been sold at charity events such as the "Postcards From the Edge" benefit for Visual AIDS of NYC; Northern Virginia Family Service; and The Fund for Women Artists.  Wendy is the founder and facilitator of Mighty Girl Art.  Formerly a NYC native, she now resides in Northern Virginia.  View her portfolio HERE.

Chelsea Dobert-Kehn is the Mighty Intern extraordinaire who makes Wendy seem like a multi-armed durga.  She is a visual artist interested in combining unlikely elements to create interactive sculpture.  She often uses recycled domestic fabrics and silkscreen printmaking techniques.  She is currently exploring tent construction to create whimsical gathering spaces.  In the future, Chelsea hopes to build off her experience with Wendy Cook and Mighty Girl Art to use these tents for workshops of her own.  

 

Announcement: Arts Salon

Artists of all disciplines, come and share a new work or a work-in-progress at the re-launch of the Arts Salon in an inspiring new space, thanks to a partnership between SSTCi and AHCMC. The now-quarterly salon will be performance-oriented and will include refreshments. You'll have four opportunities a year to share your work and get inspired, so don't miss out!

Who: Fine artists, filmmakers, writers, musicians, photographers, graphic designers, playwrights, poets, and anyone interested in the creative process.

Where: Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room (the beautiful art gallery to the left when you first walk in), Civic Center, One Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD.

When: Quarterly at 6:30-8:00 pm; July 16, 2014; October 15, 2014; February 18, 2015; and April 15, 2015

Light Refreshments: Will be provided.

Format: The salon will feature a performance-oriented show-and-tell format, a kind of “open mic” for artists of all disciplines. Participants are encouraged to prepare a five-minute piece to share: a new song, the unveiling of a new painting, a scene to read from a play-in-progress, etc. After the performances, what follows is discussion and engagement.

Host: The host is award-winning author and songwriter Mary Amato. The program manager is Cynthia Farrell Johnson, a local visual artist.

Cost: The SSTCi Arts Salon is free and open to the public.

Sponsors: The salon is sponsored and presented by The Silver Spring Town Center, Inc (SSTCi) with the support of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC). AHCMC is an independent nonprofit serving as Montgomery County’s designated local arts agency.
 

Meet Your Mighty Sponsors: Sarah Bamford Seidelmann

One thing to remember is to talk to the animals. If you do, they will talk back to you. But if you don't talk to the animals, they won't talk back to you, then you won't understand, and when you don't understand you will fear, and when you fear you will destroy the animals, and if you destroy the animals, you will destroy yourself. - Chief Dan George, Tsleil-Waututh (1899 - 1981)


At Mighty Girl Art™, we often look to nature for inspiration and wisdom.   I have been trying to retrace my steps to find the path that led me to Sarah Seidelmann, but the only thing I can remember is that someone said, "Wendy, I read this book that reminded me of you".  I bought that book straight away and was altogether delighted. 

Sarah is a physician turned shamanic healer and life coach.  This is particular interesting to me because I spent 25+ years working in medicine to support my art-making before I decided to find my own way of combining art and wellness by creating Mighty Girl Art™.   Naturally, I wanted to connect with Sarah and introduce her work to the girls.   I'm so glad that I did.



Dear Mighty Girls,

I want to invite you to CREATE every single day! If you do that in you will most certainly change the world by leaving your beautiful mark on it. Journal! Scribble! Braid! Bake! Dance! And remember to hunt for beauty because it's everywhere:). You were born to FREAK. You were born to express yourself in 1 million different ways. In ways that the earth has never seen before. So go forth and be art!
P.S. With the Beasties by your side there is nothing you cannot do, be or create:).

In peace and pachyderms,
Sarah 

* I should also mention that I have Sarah's handy & dandy app on my iphone...

Meet Your Mighty Sponsors: Chronicle Books & Artist, Lisa Congdon

Chronicle Books is one of my favorite publishing houses because they offer a wonderful selection of art & design books.  This year, the generous spirits of Chronicle have sent the girls an inspiring new book by one of my favorite artists, Lisa Congdon.

And now a message from your Mighty Sponsors:

“Here at Chronicle Books, we’re inspired by readers like you who dare to dream big and still believe in the magic of books. Thank you for being you and for seeing things differently with us!” - Irene Kim for Chronicle Books

"Girls, don't forget to LIVE every day of your lives! And stay curious!" - Lisa Congdon