Reflection & Refraction

It has been a helluva coupla years for us all hasn’t it?!

Like everyone else I have been negotiating the immediate, managing to the best of my ability as mom, partner, sister, teacher, friend and yes, sometimes boss(!). There have been so many areas of our lives to consider and as I have seen the ‘dust up’ swell all around me with friends moving, quitting, shifting positions, determining what is best for them, what is right to fight for now and for the long term, I have also been making those decisions whether out loud or quietly.

I have decidedly pulled back on some things, chosen to reassess many, and have come up with a plan that will support a deep engagement with what matters to me now and align that with how I can continue to contribute to and be a resource for my field. I have been honored in the past two years with a whole lot of external acknowledgement – United States Artist and Doris Duke Artist awards, and more recently a Guggenheim Fellowship. There are stories (of course!) attached to those, but more than anything their appearance at this time in my life has indicated for me that it is time for me to slow the daily grind and reflect.

I am taking this year to do exactly that. With the help of MacDowell and Bogliasco residencies bookending my academic year, I will look back as I look forward and write…about my journey, my work, the world that surrounds it/us all. Here’s to hoping the year is as fruitful and revelatory as all that has come before…. Axé