Working on a New Artist Statement: Site Needs Updates (I'll Get Me One of Them Round-to-its)

I'm going to get around to writing a new artist statement (again) one of these days. And I also plan to post photos, art and writing from the last two events. Not to mention make some kind of video. And create a proposal for HBP to be a reality TV show (albeit a reality TV show totally turning tail on titillation and tittering... sometimes alliteration just happens).

In terms of a new artist statement, I'm starting to realize it has to be more of a mission statement. So here's a start.

As a mother, artist and teacher I feel it is my mission to use my understanding of and struggles with vulnerability to help move people's consciousness forward. We are bombarded with information about the problems of the world. To some, the problems seem insurmountable. To others, they seem far away and not applicable to our lives. Many people, like me, find the knowledge of such global atrocities as misogyny, poverty and violence a painful burden. What do we do?

I know what we need to do. I get that not everybody needs or is able to do it, but I believe many of us are. And if enough of us use my prescription, we will change the world. We need to experience vulnerability. Of course, we all experience vulnerability daily; we need to experience it in an expanded way.

My way, for those of you unfamiliar with the Human Body Project, includes using my own naked human body for the purposes of standing in for all of our vulnerable physical bodies. There are certainly other ways to facilitate an experience of vulnerability, but I've chosen to use my naked body because our bodies are the physical us: they are fragile, they are mortal, they are universal. Everything, in terms of this world, starts and ends here. And when I mention this world, I mean the earth. No matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs, you have a physical life on earth. And then you will die. And we all are in the same boat.

Because of our fear of facing death and all those concepts associated with death like aging, imperfection, loss of control, etc., we do not live properly. We are programmed to go elsewhere when we are faced with vulnerability. And we don't have to go far. Along with too much information, we have too much distraction. Stuff to eat, watch, play, drink, buy, etc. is on constant offer, not to mention that we are surrounded by messed up messages and more and more distant/virtual ways of communicating.

We do not deal. We do not grow up. And we do not properly take care of ourselves, or others or the earth. We do not know how.

I don't know how either. But what I do know is that enough of us need to get together and viscerally experience vulnerability and learn to be with vulnerability instead of avoiding it, or nothing will change. I am advocating paradigmatic shift here. I am advocating a completely new way of living in the world. I believe it is urgent and necessary and a precursor for our children's health and lives.
(to be continued)