It’s a simple question right? And the kind that if you have to ask, then you probably are. Here’s why I may be crazy this week. I just took on another project. This one an installation in a bookstore on climate migration. Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited to have been invited to participate in the show “Free Forms” curated by Markio Tanaka and including my good friends Yuko Oda and Megan Whiteford.

But didn’t I recently state ‘no more projects’ - I have plenty to work on for 2009.

Here’s my problem, I get really excited about a project and just have to do it. I have been wanting to do a climate migration project for a while, and hadn’t figured out what it was going to look like. Then the bookstore was proposed to me and it kind of made sense. So now I am working on learning all I can about the numbers and places in regards to climate migration.

I should make clear that I am in no way complaining - not at all! I am totally thrilled to have so many opportunities to share my work - that’s really the point of creating art for me. I just don’t know if I am the best person to judge my own time availability.

Another crazy thing I am up to is the Insert ____ Here project. I originally designed this project for the <>Tag show in the Netherlands because I was invited to do a project that engaged the audience in the streets, but I didn’t want to fly over there for a weekend (by the way, you guys can still do it if you want?!). So I basically designed a project which removed the artist from the project. Participants are given signs to post in their neighborhood identifying good spots for positive change. They photograph it and upload it to the Insert ____ Here Flickr group. Then a team of designers would dive in and illustrate the remediation.

I just got some amazing images from designers for the upcoming CitySol installation. The images are (from top to bottom), Insert ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT Here - 063 by Anne Tochka,  Insert BIOSWALE/FILTRATION Here - 062 by Pat Barrett and Insert COMMUNITY GARDEN Here - 061 by Jen May.

Stunning yes?

I was interested in motivating artists/illustrators/designers to participate because I thought it would be a) fun b) a chance for possible media attention c) doing something good. Turns out that I’m not such a good motivator and most people - rightfully so - want to be paid for their work. So I am planning a competition for the remediation portion of the project, with money awards.

I also would love to get this project happening in more places around the world - so if you want to host an Insert ____ Here project, let me know. So far it has happened in Brooklyn, Leiden (The Netherlands) and this weekend at CitySol in Manhattan. Upcoming is Brussels and San Francisco.

All that being said, come out and say hi, and participate in the project which will be at CitySol this Sunday, June 29 I will (I think) be leading a tour and handing out signs for participants to post, and in the afternoon participating in a panel called “Inter-activism”.

Yeh, I’m probably crazy, but I think we have discussed before that I love it.

Wow what a beautiful holiday gift to me! I decided to check the mail on Saturday at our apartment. (We don’t get most of our mail here because of the well known Brooklyn mail problems). We got a request for year end donations from the American Museum of Natural History (which, by the way, is my idea one of the most magical places on earth), and a couple of mis-delivered items (see above), and a letter from Brooklyn Arts Council - I mostly thought it was either the newsletter or another appeal for money - in fact it was a promise of money! I got the DCA regrant! So now I am all excited and pumped and working forward on the project - it was a little hard to focus on the holiday celebrations - I was thinking about the Sea Change project and the logistics and calendaring of the project.

So congratulations to me and a huuuuge thanks to BAC for believing in me and the project. I am so excited to be able to say that someone is backing me, it really helps other granters feel like they are not alone in supporting the project (it is a real chicken and the egg scenario).
Today I did some research on the chalk I want to use for marking the line, I have found that the sports field marking chalk is white. I found some good blue chalk powder in the form of the powder used for construction marking (chalk lines - which I always thought was fun to do when I was little - hmm a little premonition?) I was also looking into gulal (the colored powder used for the Indian celebration of Holi) but I don’t think it is permanent enough - I want something that will stay around for a couple weeks. Anyone have any ideas?
I also will be building the calendar around the work projects that I have and the travel coming up in the year. My friend over at Solar One just got back from the Al Gore Climate Project training (teaching people to give an effective presentation and giving them the tools). He is hoping to put me in touch with other New Yorkers who attended so that we can coordinate a whole workshop outreach portion of the project - the presentations will be done in partnership with community organizations in the communities through which I will be creating the project.

So now I wait to hear back from NYFA and Cabot, and still have to write letters to Puffin and Jerome…