Saturday, June 23, 2012

Listen for the Crickets


This was written in chalk along the coastline...I loved it.


Earlier this week I was out for a run with a friend. It was warm and the pavement felt hot, reflecting back on my face as we crested the hill heading for home. As we passed by a mailbox, I heard a familiar sound, the sound my mom waits for every August–a faint chirp–the chirp of a cricket. As we made our way down the hill, my eyes felt heavy with tears, and my heart skipped a beat, falling out of rhythm. As I tried to take in a hot breath and hold back tears, I thought to myself “Could it be August already?”

I never met my grandmother, but ever since I was a little girl I remember my mom taking me out onto the back deck in the early evening, and she would say “Listen–do you hear that? Do you hear the chirping crickets? Do you know what that means?" And then we would go inside and call my grandfather. It was August. It was my grandmother’s birthday. Much later, the crickets would fill another empty silence in my life–the loss of my favorite uncle. It was late August in CT and my uncle’s house didn’t have air conditioning. The only way we managed to stay cool was over iced gin and tonics and hope that a thunderstorm would roll in. I remember trying to fall asleep, kicking at the covers, too hot, and sad to drift off, and hearing the crickets chirp in the background.

For many reasons, August is always the dark month of the year for me. And so you can imagine my surprise when I heard a cricket eight weeks early. I am not ready for August. However, this year I am lucky. This year I ran into the lucky cricket. The cricket who would caution that August is approaching. The cricket who would remind me to be brave and strong. The cricket who would give me advanced warning that as August arrives, to be kind to a (still) healing heart. Thank goodness for this cricket. And so I ran home. I ran home to call my grandfather, to tell him that I had heard a cricket–the lucky cricket–and that the August crickets weren’t far behind.

This cup is for Guy (because in the midst of all the celebrations, I can’t help but miss you and wish you were here) with all my heart

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Proof that it takes a village




If you keep track of my many brewing cups, then you know that my show Era of Proof opened this week. It was very exciting. Not only did it give me a great excuse to wear ridiculously high heels, it brought together people from all different corners of my life. For me, the show itself is as important as the people who fill the room (and my life). I would not be who I am today without them, and while they may not know it, I am overcome with emotion every time these individuals step through the door and I am so thankful to have them in my life. I believe it really does take a village to raise a child–and if you need proof–it was at my opening–my village was there.

The truth is, all of us need a village. The words ubuntu come to mind–I am because you are. I am reminded of my village every time I open my kitchen cabinet and see enough cups to go around (even if on most days it is just me). I think about all the people that I have met, and all the people I have yet to meet. Our village isn’t just our family, our neighbors, and our friends. It is our globe. It is our universe. This week I challenged my village to see how far a village can extend–how many cups one should have on hand (just in case) at my show Era of Proof. This is not an easy undertaking. Sometimes we just don’t want to share. Sometimes we just don’t want to talk. Sometimes we just don’t want to lend a cup. But trust me, it’s worth it. Lending a cup can mean the world to someone else. And it is our obligation as members of every village to look out for one another, open our hearts and our homes, and always have the kettle waiting–hot and at the ready.

I have been so fortunate to have people from my village take me in, answer the phone calls late at night, come to my rescue in times of turmoil, assure me that everything is going to be okay, and be there to laugh, cry, talk, and listen. I am lucky to have a village of people who will fly out at the drop of a hat (and fly me out at the drop of a hat). My village is always there with calls, cards, messages, hugs, support, love, and encouragement. My village stretches from east to west, coast to coast, and extends around the world. I am because they are. They are because I am. I am because you are. Ubuntu.

This cup is for Arch & Leah, and the rest of my village–I am because you are. 

Friday, June 8, 2012

Era of Proof




Tonight we will gather to celebrate the opening of my show: Era of Proof


A few months ago I noticed a water ring on my great-grandmother’s table in our hallway. I couldn’t help but wonder how it got there and started to think about marks that we leave behind­—all the “water rings” left around the world. Marks that go unnoticed as well as those that stay ingrained forever became the overall theme for my show. I want everyone who walks through this gallery to think about these questions: How are you going to leave your mark? How will you make the world a better place?


The world is facing a whole host of issues: lack of clean water and poor sanitation; diseases such as AIDS, malaria, TB; famine and malnutrition; gender inequality and human trafficking; extreme poverty. However, when glance at the front page, click through current events on the Internet, or get an update on the evening news, these issues are not always at the forefront of the conversation. Many of us don’t hear or think about the struggles that most people in the world face on a daily basis.

These fundamental issues of human need are what I want to address through my art. I want to start a conversation. Not every story is a fairy tale. Indeed, most of the stories describe harsh realities that are commonplace worldwide, realities that affect everyone but fall especially hard on the backs of women. For example, in many parts of the world, female circumcision is considered necessary and honor killings are acceptable. Gender inequality and male-dominated social systems often lead to sex trafficking and prostitution with few regulations and very little assistance by police or protection by law. Lack of education, services, and government can lead to unwanted pregnancies, illiteracy, poverty, drug abuse, violence, rape, mental abuse, gendercide, and mass chaos. Many women are forced into dead end situations because of stigma, sexism, racism, and poverty. UNICEF reports that fifteen women are raped every ten minutes; four million women are trafficked each year; an Indian girl dies from discrimination every four minutes. These statistics are real. These women are our mothers, our sisters, our wives, and our daughters.

The health and safety of our planet is a global crisis that needs to be addressed on a global scale. In my recent travels I kept asking myself, “How can we bring these issues to the forefront of discussion? How can we start a conversation about the environmental issues that the entire world must face?” Many of these issues feel far away, and it is hard to see connections on such a broad scale. People who do not realize or face daily struggles for life-giving resources can easily put them “out of sight and out of mind.”

My hope is that this show reminds my audience that there are real issues at stake and each and every one of us can do our part—be it large or small—to make the world a better place. Elected officials, peace-makers and humanitarians are leading the way to make positive changes. Prepare yourself to be inspired and motivated to follow in their footsteps.

“If not you, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?”

–Rudy Shaffer




Tuesday, June 5, 2012

What's Brewing? June.


In honor of Rose Festival–I found this gem in my garden


I am drawing a blank. It happens when you squeeze out every ounce of your creative juices and are left with a blank slate. It isn’t forever–but it’s for now.

My current brewing cup is: June

1     A lemon bundt cake–fresh meyer lemons are my favorite!
Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
GLAZE:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3/4 cup sugar

Directions
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in lemon peel. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes longer. Place rack on waxed paper. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over the warm cake. Cool completely before serving.

2      Rosemary, cherry and blue cheese stuffed burgers
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coarse or fine bulgur wheat
1 cup finely chopped onion plus 1 medium onion sliced 1/3 in. thick
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 cup dried tart cherries
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound lean ground beef or bison (90 percent lean)
4 ounces brie cheese, thinly sliced to fit burgers
4 sesame hamburger buns, split
Lettuce
Preparation
.                 1. Combine bulgur and 1/3 cup boiling water in a 2-cup glass measure. Let stand 10 minutes, then microwave until liquid is absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
.                 2. Meanwhile, cook chopped onion in 1 tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until deep golden, stirring often, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in garlic, scrape into a large bowl, and let cool. Brush sliced onion with remaining 1 tbsp. oil and set aside. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp. rosemary, and 1/4 tsp. pepper; chill.
.                 3. Heat grill to medium (350° to 450°). Whirl cherries in a food processor until they're finely ground and form a ball. Add them to chopped onion with remaining 2 tsp. rosemary and 1/2 tsp. pepper, the salt, and bulgur; blend well with your fingers. Add ground beef and mix gently but thoroughly. Shape into 4 patties, 1/2 in. thick.
.                 4. Grill onion slices, turning occasionally, until well browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Grill burgers, turning once with a wide spatula, until they no longer stick to grate and grill marks appear, 10 to 12 minutes total; about 2 minutes before burgers are done, top them with brie and grill the buns.
.                 5. Spread buns with mayonnaise; add lettuce, burgers, and onions.
.                 *I like to use blue cheese instead of brie and I leave out the garlic:)

3     A visit with old friends
4     2 large thunderstorms
5      2 perfect runs down on the waterfront
6     1 good book: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
7      Lyle Lovett and His Large Band– playing in the background
8       Spring Cleaning–going through heaps of papers, junk and stuff
9     Cosmopolitans
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec

Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on a sugared rim, and serve.
10  A rekindled love for outdoor lanterns and candles

And that is just the beginning of my June….

This cup is for Omar: I can't imagine what life was like before you arrived