……….Art works can be a companion, a teacher, an act of spiritual expression and much more. Art is for life's sake. Art is not limited to the Modernist view of art for art's sake alone. Art is much broader than that in our postmodern society. Reclamation Marks: Reclaiming the Sacred Vision will be a Master of Fine Arts exhibition of paintings and a mixed-media installation. The exhibition will provide the viewer with the opportunity to reclaim a connection with the idea of sacredness as it is being redefined in our diverse, postmodern culture. Participants in the installation will be contributing to collaborative paintings in a ritualized fashion. Thematically the installation and the paintings will celebrate the diverse and varied spirituality of the artist and the participants, each in their own unique way.

……….Cultures everywhere express their highest values in myriad expressions of sacred imagery. From cultures throughout the ages, symbols have been used to express the great source and force of life. By jjuxtaposing various sacred symbols with my own sacred vision based upon an ecofeminist philosophy, I will create a series of artworks for exhibition. The exhibition will provide an opportunity for viewers to contemplate the importance of issues such as our physical and social environment. Our very survival depends upon our possessing a sense of the sacred interconnection of all things.

……….A collaborative installation will be included in the exhibition. It will provide participants the opportunity to express their unique ideas of sacredness, to experience the artistic challenge of composing an image in the triangular format and to share in artistic collaboration. People from various ages, backgrounds and professions will be invited to participate, including visual artists, writers, laborers, homemakers and children. By extending the invitation to such an assortment, I anticipate a greater range of diversity in the imagery. Additionally, non-artists will be included in an attempt to open the artistic experience to those who may never have been given the opportunity. By participating in the collaboration, participants can expect to experience a sense of community and accomplishment which may encourage them to continue in the sacred journey of art making.

………The field of ecofeminist art spans a wide spectrum. For many years after its inception in the late 1960s, literature dominated the field. For the past two decades, many ecofeminist artists have engaged in performance and ritualistic art in an effort to "raise energy, evoke visions, to altar states of consciousness..." (Orenstein 279) as a means of political and philosophical change in our culture. Other ecofeminist artists incorporate imagery inspired by ancient icons in their paintings and other material arts to create new symbols of empowerment (Gadon 372).

……….It is among the later group that I identify myself. Relying partly upon personal experiences in my own development as a woman, and partly upon historical iconography, I will produce a series of paintings to assist the audience in reclaiming connected-ness. In Suzi Gablik's The Reenchantment of Art, she calls for a shift in the paradigm of artists' goals and intentions.

The philosophies of the Cartesian era carried us away from a sense of wholeness by focusing only on individual experience. Ultimately this individualistic focus narrowed our aesthetic perspectives as well, due to its noninteractive, nonrelational and nonparticipatory orientation. Most artists still see art as an arena in which to pursue individual freedom and expression. Under modernism this often meant freedom from community, freedom from obligation to the world and freedom from relatedness. The emerging new paradigm reflects a will to participate socially.... A new emphasis [for artists] falls on community and the environment rather than on individual achievement and accomplishment. (7)

……….The collaborative installation that will be included in this exhibition is a direct response to Gablik's call, and conceptually relies upon the idea that collaboration generates tolerance. In the globalization of our culture, tolerance is becoming a necessary quality.

……….Near the end of the twentieth century a movement called Ecofeminism arose as a response to the environmental failures of the modern era. According to the philosophers of this movement, an overview of the modern era shows a predisposition towards specialization, isolation and individualization in the way of life and general attitude of Western culture. The elevation of mankind above and distinctly separate from the rest of nature has led those in power to recklessly exploit women, minorities, and the elements of our environment in kind. By categorizing and labeling them as "others" they have been devalued. The devastating results of such attitudes are evidenced by the physical and social environmental crisis in which we now find ourselves. Standing on the authority given artists by millenniums of art history, artists have begun creating didactic works of art as a response to the need of a paradigm shift.

………..In creating Reclamation Marks, there will be a variety of influences from diverse cultures, art styles and periods. This approach has become a pattern among artists of the Women's Spirituality branch in the Ecofeminist movement. By grounding the imagery in ancient and contemporary traditions, artists intend to reclaim the interconnection of all life as a vital inspiration for their art.

……….Following the art for art’s sake movement of the nineteenth century, Russian abstract painter, Wassily Kandinsky condemned its materialism as vulgar and barren. "This art, which has no power for the future, which is only a child of the age and cannot become a mother of the future, is a barren art. She is transitory and to all intent dies the moment the atmosphere alters which nourished her" (4).

……….Wassily Kandinsky's non-objective, non-representational painting style, relied heavily upon the element of pure color and its placement within a composition. In Kandinsky's treatise, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, he expounded upon the necessity of art to provide "spiritual food" to the audience (7). He proclaimed that artists had a responsibility as cultural leaders. It is this spiritual nutrition that the paintings in Reclamation Marks will be seeking to convey.

……….Minor White was a renowned photographer of the mid-twentieth century and editor of Aperture magazine ("White" par. 4). White created sequences of photographs accompanied by poetry he had written. The poetry added a spiritual component to the photographs, which intensified their greater meaning. The grouping of imagery tends to create an innate dialogue that extends to the viewer. "It is curious that I always want to group things, a series of sonnets, a series of photographs; whatever rationalizations appear, they originate in urges that are rarely satisfied with single images" (qtd. in Agustsson par.6). In James Hall's biographical essay about White he states that "To see the sacred in the profane is to see the eternal in time: that was the controlling quest of Minor White's life..." (115).

……….The impact of Minor White’s work on my own will be evident in the paintings that will be included in Reclamation Marks. For years, the extreme close-up compositions of my photographs and paintings were a direct response to his similar compositions. Additionally, many of the paintings will be presented in sequences, some of which will include poetry and other text.

……….One artist who might be called an artist of the Women’s Spirituality movement is Judy Chicago. Chicago has produced several projects involving metaphorical imagery of the goddess, the Earth as mother. Additionally she has produced projects addressing the issue of holocaust in various forms. Chicago's The Dinner Party was a collaborative installation she had created, along with numerous known and unknown artists. The base of the installation was a large triangular platform upon which were placed three long tables. On the tables were elaborate place settings for 39 women from history, legend and mythology. The purpose of the piece was to celebrate the uncelebrated influence of women on society and "to teach women's history through art." (Lucie-Smith 60)

……….The symbol of the equilateral triangle was repeated through other parts of this installation and in subsequent projects by Judy Chicago. This shape has occurred in sacred art throughout the ages in varying cultures as a symbol of the sacred trinity and the female principle. Barbara Walker tells us, "The Goddess was the original trinity, for most of her oldest manifestations had three aspects: the classical Virgin, Mother, and Crone." (39). The appropriation of the equilateral triangle as a basic format for my paintings developed years later as a response to Chicago's influence. This format has become a symbol for the reestablishment of empowerment for the disenfranchised and will be heavily utilized in Reclamation Marks.

……….Hung Liu is an internationally respected painter who was born in China and came to the United States following the Cultural Revolution. She was trained in Social Realism instead of traditional Chinese painting. Much of Hung Liu's paintings and installations employ appropriated historical photographs. Her work addresses social issues concerning women, specifically the suppression of women in China and the view of the Chinese from the Western point of view. In an interview with Bulletin, a magazine published by the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Ohio, she states that by using old photographs, she "gives this image a new life in a different form." ("Hung Liu" 35) The metamorphosis that Hung Liu’s images generate is used to enlighten the viewer to the suppressed conditions of women and non-Western cultures. Hung Liu’s installations combine painting and found objects. By juxtaposing the two elements, she makes a profound statement about the image in the painting that might otherwise be missed.

……….One of the influential writers in the Women’s Spirituality movement is Elinor Gadon. In her book, The Once and Future Goddess she states, "Mine is a tale about the Goddess as she was in ages past, as she continues to be in many parts of the world today, and as she is reemerging in late twentieth-century Western culture." (xi) With the rise of the patriarchy in both religious and secular veins, the power of women was diminished significantly during the modern period. Throughout the book she discusses art of ancient times and compares the imagery and iconography to the current movement by ecofeminist artists to re-empower women.

……….The final influence upon the artwork in Reclamation Marks is the study of the sacred paintings of Tibet known as thangkas. Thangka is a Tibetan term for a portable painting which can be rolled up for easy transport. The primary purpose of thangkas were and still are to present a role model on the path to enlightenment and to offer a means and focus of contemplation. They are often perceived as icons, retaining the spirit of the subject. In many cases, actual hand and footprints of the human subject are imprinted onto the painting to give it another level of spiritual connection.

……….The prevailing aesthetic of all Tibetan art is harmony and symmetry. "The viewer can be startled by the combination of grace and elegance with anger and ferocity in the same image, a reminder of the constant coexistence of these extremes both in nature and our own individual natures" (Fisher 29). The Tibetan paintings serve as "enlightenment art" whose purpose is to be a "window into the new dimensions in the world revealed to the enlightened awareness" (Rhie 15). Surrounding the painted canvases are elaborate frameworks of tailored embroidery on brocade fabric, which are attached to wooden dowels as a support for hanging and rolling. Originally, thangkas were designed as a teaching aid for the nomadic monks who traveled the countryside in the early years. Ultimately they ended up stored in temples, to be brought out and hung on specific holy days.

……….In the exhibition Reclamation Marks, the influence of the above artists and styles will be evident. The exhibition will combine Kandinsky’s concept of the spiritual element of color and abstraction, White’s search for the sacred through the use of sequences and poetry, objective imagery and the use of installations striving for cultural change. Several of the methods used by the Tibetan painters will be used in the creation of the paintings, including surface preparation, contemplation and meditation. An adaptation of the Tibetan aesthetic of harmony will be essential to the conception of the paintings. In addition, many of the paintings for Reclamation Marks will be framed in a fashion similar to Tibetan thangkas.

……….As a result of reading Elinor Gadon’s moving book and speaking with her personally in 1992, the idea for this exhibition was born. Nine years after its conception, this body of work will finally be realized.

……….In producing my paintings, there will be slight variances in my methodology. One will rely upon a predetermined subject matter, another upon the act of spontaneous painting. The strongest work will be a result of the merging of the two methods.

……….The first step in the making of the paintings for this exhibition will be the selection and preparation of the surface. This step is vitally important to the finished piece in that the foundation notably influences the work's final strength. Great care will be taken with the selection of the surface, whether it be wood, linen, paper, etc. After the surface is prepared by cutting, sanding, and priming, a period of contemplation will be engaged. This period may be as brief as a few minutes, or it may take days or weeks. Once a subject has been determined, I will return to my studio to begin the painting. After achieving a meditative state, the painting process will begin with the application of multiple layers of color. I will then lift out paint in a reductive method to produce the image. When necessary, the additive method will also be employed. When using acrylic paint, each layer of color will be allowed to dry before the next layer is applied. Because of its lengthy drying period, when using oils each layer will be applied before the previous has dried, resulting in a softer, more blended image.

……….Other mark-making tools will be used at varying stages of the painting. Ink, charcoal and scratches will be introduced to provide linear elements, creating multiple imagery within the same piece. On wooden surfaces, linear drawings will be cut into the surface to provide similar effects. Text will be included in some of the pieces to give an added conceptual dimension to the work.

……….For the collaborative installation, I will prepare the surfaces in my typical manner for the participants to use. Small 8" equilateral triangles will be cut from recycled bed linen. The triangles will be distributed to the participants and then collected prior to installation. A triangular framing structure will be built from wood to be placed at a central point within the gallery. The frame will be filled with a thin layer of sand. Rocks symbolizing a fire ring will be placed in its center. The "tiles" of linen will be placed on the sand between the frame and rocks to form a mosaic of images created by the participants. The final piece will be a symbolic hearth, reminiscent of the hearths found in ancient temples and other sacred spaces.

……….The major limitation I have set for this exhibition is that the pieces will be painted upon recycled surfaces. These surfaces will include linen, wood, and other found objects. The pieces will be painted with acrylic and oil, both together and separately. Overall, I will be painting approximately 20-25 pieces on the triangular format. The pieces will range in size from 8" to 2-3 feet. Some of the pieces will be hung in groupings while others will be hung as solitary pieces. Many of the paintings will be "framed" with selected fabric in the same fashion as the Tibetan thangkas. The collaborative installation will include 72 - 8" pieces contributed by participants.

……….The theme for the exhibition's work will be the reclamation of a sacred vision for the empowerment of women and nature. Reclamation is the act of reclaiming, or reinstating that which has been lost or abused. The theme for the installation will be "The Sacred Image" as interpreted by each participant.

Ecofeminism - A philosophical movement which combines feminism and ecology, and seeks to promote a change in our culture's paradigm of subjugation and domination. Ecofeminism celebrates diversity as a necessity for survival.

installation - an art work which involves the environment in which it exists.

material arts - artwork consisting of a material object, such as painting, sculpture, etc.

performance art - an art form which exists temporarily and is frequently non-material.

reductive method - a method of painting where paint is applied to a surface, then shapes are lifted or scrubbed out to reveal the surface beneath.

Women's Spirituality - a non-religious movement started in the late twentieth century; a branch of Ecofeminism which promotes the spiritual development of women.

Works Cited, Works Consulted

Adams, Carol J., ed. Ecofeminism and the Sacred. New York: Continuum, 1993.

Agustsson, Hakon. "Photo Quotes: Minor White" Suðurgata, Iceland: University of ……….Iceland, 1997. 3 April 2001

Bigwood, Carol, ed. Earth Muse: Feminism, Nature, and Art. Philadelphia: Temple ……….University Press, 1993.

Fisher, Robert. Art of Tibet. London: Thames and Hudson, 1997.

Gablik, Suzi. The Reenchantment of Art. New York : Thames and Hudson, 1991.

Gadon, Elinor W. The Once and Future Goddess: A Symbol for Our Time. San Francisco: ……….HarperSanFrancisco, 1989.

Hall, James Baker. Biographical essay. Minor White: Rites and Passages. By Minor ……….White. Millerton, NY: Aperture, Inc., 1978.

"Hung Liu." Bulletin (Allen Memorial Art Museum) v. 47 no2 ('94) p. 32-9.

Lippard, Lucy R. Overlay: Contemporary Art and the Art of Prehistory. New York: ……….Pantheon Books, 1983.

Lucie-Smith, Edward. Judy Chicago: An American Vision. New York: Watson-Guptill ……….Publications, 2000.

Kandinsky, Wassily. Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Toronto: Dover, 1977.

Orenstein, Gloria. "Artists as Healers: Envisioning a Life-giving Culture." Reweaving the ……….World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. Ed. Irene Diamond and Gloria Orenstein. ……….San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1990. 279-87.

Rhie, Marylin M., and Robert A. F. Thurman. Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of ……….Wisdom and Compassion. New York: Tibet House New York, 1999.

Stone, Merlin. When God Was a Woman. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1976.

Walker, Barbara G. The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects. San ……….Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988.

"White, Minor" Britannica Online. Vers. 2001 Encyclopedia Britannica.com Inc. 3 April ……….2001

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