The Brain & Art
/Stand Up Tall
Grandmother said
dress your best when you go to town
hold your head high
driving 7 miles from the small house at
the edge of the cotton field
Granddaddy plowed rigorously
when the field dried
& he could no longer plow
he became a magician
making school children laugh until
he lost his mind & was institutionalized
Grandmother, the most righteous
her father, a missionary to Indians
her ancestors, slave-owners
in ’38 her husband, his money lost to
crooked bankers
that never recorded his payments
drove that dirt lane in their black cars
family possessions - passed down
heirlooms & old quilts
saved for decades
were hauled away.
When we have community we share memories & they become stories & art.
As kids we visited the small 4 room house at the edge of the cotton that field Granddaddy plowed rigorously.
( I am now practicing Transformative Resistance, make art write now, to calm myself. I need ways to resist darkness & despair whenever there is something I cannot control. This is my self care.)
Granddaddy plowed rigorously. That was his work.
Grandmother cooked & sewed. That was her work. She taught us cousins to sew. That was her gift. That was her transformative resistance. That’s what kept her in the moment so poverty would not overcome. Today, I find old clothes in colors I like, cut them up and fuse them together to make new fabric. I am always surprised. And happy with the results.
I am reading “Your Brain on Art” by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. If you want to meet to discuss some of their ideas, let me know and I will reach out when I have a date.
I know the transformative power of art, getting lost in music, in a book or project. I used to think it was frivolous. Not important. Now there is have scientific proof that the arts are essential to our very survival.
I am learning that “art and aesthetics will improve your health and well being and enhance your ability to learn and flourish. “ pg.3
Even brown plastic bottles can be used to create artful bags. Anything is possible!
Shibori Linen caftan dress
And shibori dyeing silk can feel magical. Just like
when the cotton field dried & Granddaddy could no longer plow
he became a magician
making school children laugh.
Amanda Bridges and I, in collaboration with Levee Collective, are creating an exhibit and discussion on how art making has made a difference in our lives during difficult times.
Transformative Resistance make art write now
Opening Reception July 26th 4-5 pm Discussion 5-6 After party at Levee Collective begins at 7
Come fall, I will start Sunday Zoom Writing Practice. If you want to join us, let me know.
Sunday Dinner, 1955
We are in Grandmother, Stella Tilson’s, small kitchen in the west Texas rent house.
All the adults are squeezed around an oval table.
Everyone is dressed up.
Stella, wearing an apron, with hands on her hips
is leaning against the sink.
She is proud of the meal she has prepared.
Fried chicken
mashed potatoes
green beans
melons
sweet iced tea.
Granddaddy adds more sugar.
Mother is sitting next to aunt Barbara.
They both have wavy, luxurious hair
& are wearing dark lipstick & earrings.
Mother’s posture suggests she is reaching towards someone.
Because I remember this house,
I know that she is sitting near the doorway
to a room where a card table is set up for six grandchildren.
This pose is a nurturing gesture.
There is tenderness in the way she holds her arms.
This is a portrait of my mother.
This is what she did, solely, and to the best of her ability.
Let me know if you would like if you would like to talk more about Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross’s book, “Your Brain on Art.”
Take Care,
Laverne
