HILOS, THE NON-SOLO EXHIBITION, CONTINUED

Last blog post, I described how many of the works in HILOS are actually collaborative, community projects that would not/ could not have been realized without the support, contributions, and assistance of many friends. This is so powerful, important, and also so much fun, creating an atmosphere of 'We' in the sala at Bellas Artes. 

Today I want to feature two collaborations, beginning with LAS TRAZAS (TRACES). In my post on August 17, 2015, I told you about Marisa Boullosa and her donation of banners from an exhibition. The banners were from her exhibition FRONTERA HERIDA  (WOUNDED BORDER).
Las Trazas has created much attention and interest from visitors, often bringing tears and provoking deep conversations. My young friend Josué from Honduras, who you might have met in a previous post, came to see it when he was here, before heading down to Antigua to live with his mom. So many of you helped him with his bus fare, and arts+activism was again part of this body of work.

Traces of a life in transit. El Nigromante Bellas Artes,
collaboration with Marissa Boullosa. 

The other collaboration, with Wendy Coulson Catalan, is LA LIBERTAD (Liberty or Freedom.) The iron cage I had for some years, and I kept seeing it as a skirt. My neighbor Felipe is an iron-worker, and after making my doors, drapery rods, etc, I asked if he'd like to be an art assistant as well. He made this perfect stand for the cage, and it twists apart for ease in packing and delivering. 

La Libertad, collaboration with Wendy Coulson Catalan. 

Back to Wendy! I asked if she could help me make a felted huipil for this piece, because it's her business, "Felpa Felt", and she is quite the expert. We met at her studio and began playing with colors, threads, size requirements. Her assistant, Sol, actually ended up doing the hard and heavy work. Once I began to watch, I knew there was no way I would be able to do it! It requires so much strength, I was in awe watching her manipulate it. Wendy herself made this perfect purple bird in no time at all. Ana Thiel and Robin Loving each had a gardener that collected branches in their yards, and brought them to my studio. Ana even found small bird nests, as seen in the cage. Denise Baca, an artist who also works part time at Bellas Artes, built the nest during the installation, with a little help from Orlando Alandia, George Wyklidge and me. Friends stopped by in the following days, adding and weaving their own scraps, feathers, colors to the nest, just as a bird would do. 

 HILOS continues at the Sala Principal of Bellas Artes El Nigromante, through April 24.