Read This… HOW ART CONNECTS US

[Thom Courcelle]

Always GLOWING in her enthusiasm, profluent creativity, and supportiveness of fellow IUOMA friends, AMY IRWEN sent a touching piece that was not only great art to admire, but made a connection with me that she couldn't have known about.  This piece is collage, but incorporating fiber and textiles, and very succinct references to globally-personal experiences pertaining to memory loss.  Amy titled the piece "Fragments," which is fitting for the subject and for the bits of words and phrases she incorporated in the piece:

"Focus";

"Forgetting which day it is and remembering later";

"Difficulty having a conversation";

"These techniques can help your brain remember, no matter your age"; and

"I am in here somewhere!"; among others...

The textiles Amy used were cotton flannel and velour (soft to the touch and comforting like an old, familiar shirt), and an evergreen print with a red glowing star (like Christmas holidays we remember), and plastic criss-cross stretchy bag material like you buy bulk onions in (onions that make us cry when we don't know why, and netting-like material that sometimes makes it hard to discern the message underneath or behind it).  The envelope, itself, was made out of a newspaper article that investigates the signs of and preventative measures we can take to potentially guard ourselves against the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

The theme of this piece is evident right away.  And I have to admit that I spent several minutes holding, touching, and admiring the details before turning the piece over and reading Amy's note to me:

"Hi Thom...  Thinking of my Mom today...  your mail art inspires me... Thank you! --Amy"

...And right there I lost it.  Sorry, I did.  And for the best of reasons... Because someone reached out to me--used her creative process to share her personal experience with me, constructing an artwork (only 4 by 6 inches, mind you!) that expressed a slew of emotions, frustrations, memories, and stories in that one little conglomeration of mixed paper and fabric.  And how do I know that whole STORIES were contained in that 4 x 6" card?  Partly because Amy's artwork is so inspirational as to create imagined scenarios... and partly because I have my OWN personal experiences that live in the same shadows where Amy's stories come from.  My Grandmother succumbed to the disease.  The doctors called it Alzheimer’s, but from my own research, knowledge of family history, and observation I would say that she likely suffered from multi-infarct dementia...a much faster progression than the painfully slow onset of Alzheimer’s. And I won't go into details, because that's not the point of my writing here.  

What I want for friends to know is that Art has the real potential to connect us.  It has healing possibilities, coping possibilities, story-telling possibilities, inspirational possibilities, hope-filled possibilities... and when we share it with one another, it has the possibility of letting us know WE REALLY ARE NOT ALONE in our pains, or our sorrows, or our triumphs, or our celebrations. Reaching out and sharing our art with one another allows us to [sometimes] overcome our sorrows in the face of adversities--big or small.  Amy made a piece of art that helped her think about her Mom, and she helped me think about my Grandmother, and now Amy and I are connected by one more common thread. (Insert fiber artist joke here.)

Throw your chord of connection through the postal system. It's... wondrous how we are connected.

[Amy Irwen]

Thom, you are so thoughful and I really don't know how to respond; I keep crying and thinking I do not deserve your words...

My Mom is a wonderful, exceptional woman...how she raised six of us without the help of my Dad is beyond me; I know I could not do what she has done - my Dad worked for the railroad and was always gone providing for his family.

Mom is in an assisted care facility where I believe she is happy, and we know she is getting the daily care she needs - there are other medical issues that compounded the necessity for this action.  Mom knows all of us and everything that happened "back-when"; it is the hours and minutes of the here and now that she is struggling with.

I am truly very thankful that she has not forgotten me and I can still make her laugh when I call.

When I am creating a piece of mail art; it has to mean something to me, and you truly do not know how it will come across to the recipient; you always hope that a small part of you comes across the miles...

Of course, this piece does not have a hidden message; it just fit with my family life right now.

 

Thom, I am a great admirer of your work and you really do inspire me...so thank you, thank you, thank you!

[DKeys]

Great Blog Thom-the "I am in here somewhere" is very powerful

[PIRO]

Thanks Amy, Thanks Tom. !!!!!!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Beautiful connection, Amy and Thom. I also admire Amy's art, and many of us can relate to the topic of the art that touched you so deeply, Thom. Your post gets to the nitty-gritty and the universal, at the same time, for they are inherently connected too, but that isn't always obvious, especially when people are in pain. You brought out that plus a number of other kinds of connection in your post, really. Art makes so much possible, and I love what you express here. Thank you!