Kinston - Bulgaria Installation Project
Installation 300 N. Herritage Street, Kinston NC, October 4-31, 2023. Generous Support for The Herritage Street Project was provided by the smART Kinston Foundation LLC
Rare Amulet.
Sterling Silver pendant with Blue Diamond on foot, crafted exclusively for the Artist by Ellis Jewelers, Concord NC, Master Jewelers producing fine custom work for the past 70 years. One-of-a-kind. Certificate of Authenticity. Worn as a reminder to balance you.
Embracing principles of the past
Social media posts horror stories about food shortages. a YouTube video about the Bulgarian culture using a fantastical preventative ritual to alleviate such fears inspired this art project. My creative process is entirely intuitive and I am neither an expert nor practitioner of any healing arts. The benefits you may receive from wearing or observing my Self-Health Art is simply from an energetic exchange I like to tap into, and share. The art I create has evolved over a lifetime, as I absorbed lessons from respected teachers and guides. I enjoy being a spiritual seeker of Beauty. After I moved to NYC I remember having two amazing teaching experiences. One was at Greenwich House for a Senior painting class. The second was a class for 6-year-old children at the United Nations After-School Program. The class was energetic and drew the most unique art, after being focused on seeing each other write their names on the blackboard. We had a fun learning experience together. Wear the limited edition pendant and place the wall art however and whenever you feel drawn to.
BULGARIA. Bulgarian Kukeri dancers dressed in scary costumes chase evil spirits and make way for a good year ahead. "Evil is when we don't want to be together. Evil is poverty. No wheat, corn, potatoes to eat."
KINSTON. The Neusiok tribe came to North Carolina, hunted deer, aquatic animals and other small game; used plants for medicinal purposes; and stone tools were made to use as decorative pins. On Tuesdays and Saturdays a Farmers Market now sells local farm produce on Herritage Street, a short walk from the art residency where I developed this work and the Herritage St. Installation that takes place during October 2023.
Rare Amulet.
Sterling Silver pendant with Blue Diamond on foot, crafted exclusively for the Artist by Ellis Jewelers, Concord NC, Master Jewelers producing fine custom work for the past 70 years. One-of-a-kind. Certificate of Authenticity.
$997
Other cultures with similar dance traditions to protect food supplies:
Native Americans
"Native American rain dances have been around for centuries, first as a ceremonial ritual to help with the growth of harvests, and now also as exhibition and commemoration of Native American history." https://www.lovetoknow.com/life/lifestyle/native-american-rain-dances
Navajo Code Talkers… Warriors for America “Our Mother”. WWII protectors with their spoken and unwritten language of The Holy People. Although the elders learned from their traditions without a written language, there are research sources available to study the difficult language and some ceremonial teachings if you have the interest.
Inuit
"At specific times of the year…Inuit participate in many traditional Inuit games, which are athletic competitions of strength, agility, dexterity and stamina based on critical skills honed for excellence in hunting and Arctic survival." https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/article/performance-arts/
Aborigines
Aborigines perform ceremonies celebrating important seasonal changes. The women and girls dance first and are the food gatherers; their dancing is precise, each step meaningful. The men were hunters, watchful when animals came at dusk to drink at the waterholes.
https://aboriginalartshop.com/aboriginal-ceremonies-songs-a-dances/
Amis People of Taiwan
"Previously, the main purpose of the [7-day 'Harvest Festival'] was to pray to the ancestral gods to bless successfully harvested crops, and to wish for a bumper grain harvest, growth of population and stock breeding in the coming year."