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What does it mean to you that the sky is falling?
While at a recent artist residency, I worked on a project “The Sky is Falling/Picking Up the Pieces/Holding Up the Sky.” I made objects to represent a falling sky and filmed myself hauling the pieces to the top of a hill and trying to replace them in the sky above. I felt like my sky was falling around me as I struggled to pick up the pieces of my life after the agonizing and untimely death of my husband. The labor involved carrying the heavy pieces of fallen sky to the top of the mountain connected me to the natural world, the wind, and insects, rain, and sounds of the blowing grass, in a way that took me out of my small self and allowed for perspective. When I got home and back to my community I shared the idea of this project with others to learn if anyone else wanted to help hold up the sky with me. Since then I’ve held many workshops and we have painted dozens and dozens of pieces of the fallen sky– some heavy clay pieces, others large and light Styrofoam pieces, and dozens and dozens of us now have climbed up to some of the higher points here in the Phoenix area and tried to replace pieces of the sky. I think we all feel better once we’ve tried to do this together. If one of us can’t carry our piece someone steps in to help. I am expanding this project to other locations, other states, and maybe even other countries. if you would like to participate, you just have to contact me.
You can also participate by sending me a piece of your own fallen sky, a torn piece of paper, or an object that’s broken– paint it blue to match your sky and send it to my post office box –see below–then I’ll add it to the project. Please include a note about why your sky is falling. I hope you’ll think about joining me
There are three ways to participate!
1) Paint the sky blue! Local participants: Help me create pieces that represent the falling sky. Join me in my studio, or attend a workshop, painting or glazing pieces of the fallen sky (fired clay slabs), matching the color of our beautiful Arizona sky.
Rocking S Art Ranch, 3131 E Sheridan St, Phoenix 85008
or
2) Anyone, anywhere: Create on your own time, in your own space, with your own materials. Paint, or color, with markers or pencils, a shard of a broken object, or a torn piece of heavy paper or cardboard, to match the color of your sky. Write, on the back, or on a separate piece of paper, where and when your sky fell. Mail your paper or object to the, “Holding Up the Sky Project”, 3241 E Shea Blvd. #472, Phoenix, AZ 985028-3365.
3. Participate in a hike! I will send you information about where and when to meet and we will hike together, with our pieces of the fallen sky and consider how we can repair the world and help each other and ourselves. Please contact me to be added to my email list.
Please, join me in creating a beautiful event, featuring all of us taking action, drawing attention to our ability to mend the falling sky.
Let’s work together!
Patricia Sannit
More details:
I will edit and combine filmed footage to be presented as part of the “Holding Up the Sky” for a future exhibition.
contact me at psclaystudio@gmail.com to participate, support, or for more information.
This project is supported by the Phoenix Office of Art and Culture. So far, I have held numerous workshops and 4 hikes. Aspects of the project have been exhibited at DeSarthe Gallery in Scottsdale, ASU’s Sky Song Center for Innovation, and Phoenix Art Museum.
