Meet Me At the Center of the Earth

Getting a little help from mom

 Today  I volunteered to help at the Boise Art Museum "Yarn Bombing" for a day of community art making, my booth specialized in making god's eyes and pom poms which were hung on the fence and from quilts.  This was in conjunction with the exhibition Nick Cave: Meet Me At the Center of the Earth  exploring fashion, art, sound and movement. Everyone got to practice basic knitting techniques, get tips about using found objects in artwork, learn to stitch buttons and beads, and join artists to contribute to a collaborative community project.

Weaving in the fence

even yarn bombing on the outdoor sculptures was allowed

I added the tassel

 Local artists were invited by the museum to apply to create a "soundstick" using recycled materials based on Nick Caves Sound Suits. I was one of the artists. These soundsticks will be hung on the exterior of the museum through August 31, 2012.

The second half of the afternoon, I changed hats and was one of the artists' talking about their work using found objects for the Soundsticks.

I met some talented artists and saw and heard them talk about their soundsticks.  We were interviewed and photographed by a reporter from the Boise Weekly.

Here is a shot of my sound stick. The museum supplied the 4 foot structure, they had many different types to choose from. I picked the weathered piece of barn wood.

 I used items I found while hiking. Antlers in the Owyhees, Tin cans in Nevada. I decided to use the antlers to create a bottle tree. I had bought the bottles  (5 for a $1) at a reuse store in Bellingham, WA. The bottle tree history is that they were created to catch the bad spirits in the bottles so they would not go into your home.

 I had quite the collection of necklaces and picked out all the ones that were natural seeds, beads and shells to complete the look. When the wind goes through it you can hear them all rattle.  I attached everything with wire and screws and then used e6000 glue on top of that to make sure it would all stay as it will be used outdoors. I hung it on our back fence the night a big storm was coming through to make sure it would all stay put and it made the test!