Research & Creations in the Fine Arts

	Corn Mother v. Childless Corn:The Terminator Gene The Corn Mother art series reflects upon Indigenous logic of Home/Land Place and her Beings, such as corn, water, rain snow, bears, snakes, and insects. the series compares aboriginal logic about specific living Beings with modern scientific ideas and philosophiesthat have led to global warming, the terminator strain of Monsanto corn, and others, and expresses commentary through fabric-based artworks. all of the pieces in Corn Mother are hand sewn by one person, in order to claim solidarity with those in relationship the ancient act of Making. herein, Making is political activism, a social statement, a sacrifice, consious resistance to mechanization, and homogenization, and an act of survival. on who can make things does not need electricity, and will always be able to eat. the series is named for aboriginal Corn, Corn Mother, in honour of her body and spirit, her sacredness, and the power of reproduction, and the effect upon all living beings. • continue the story of Corn Mother v. Childless Corn
Please click here to order a copy of Happy Birthday Supercheaper	Happy Birthday Super Cheaper Happy Birthday Super Cheaper is an art series made up of scavenged items, found in trash, on the ground, or in thrift stores. for those who believe in the concept of inanimate, as if something could be not-alive, yet hold its form for years, these objects in the form of animals represent species in our conciousness or imagination, or at least, in our visual memory. each animal, as if it were an Animal, has been considered, and a special set of clothing made especially for each one, honouring, and transforming a Being from refuse (one that was once cast away) into 'art.' the wool used here is from a trading post on the Navajo reservation and also from the thrift store, the bark is scavenged from trees felled for a condominium development in the Vancouver area. the cast offs, the forgotten ones, the expendable 'trash' are here now, dressed in their finery, as if attending a fancy birthday party or grand ball. they are all gathered together, each sees the other for their worth, and at the party there is more than enough to eat and nourishing things to drink. • continue the story of Happy Birthday Super Cheaper
	Elder Brother: Sasquatch Held in the Basket of Memory the politics of hopelessness in a political tool. eroding belief in mystery, possibility- the 'what if' that races in and out in life - creates a crippled populace who no longer care to vote, to recycle, to sacrifice for the common good, to sew a wedding dress or coach baseball. Elder Brother is comprised of twenty-one painted plywood panels, carved in shallow relief as printing blocks, several hundred small one-color prints on recycled previously printed papers, and a signature applique blanket piece each illustrate an encounter someone i personally know had with Sasquatch. • continue the story of Elder Brother and Sasquatch Deer Give-away
	Surviving Modernity: Species Loneliness in the Age of Nuclearism • view the preparation for Surviving Modernity • view the Surviving Modernity exhibition on October 16, 2008 a public opening celebration for surviving modernity was held in the Saywell Hall atrium at SFU. guests enjoyed food, a student poetry reading, and a guided walk to some of the locations displaying poem prints. the gathering was blessed by Chief Janice George and Willard Joseph of Squamish Nation, and food was supplied by Nature’s Garden Organic Deli. further support for surviving modernity was provided by Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn, Frank de Vita, Sandie Dielissen, Robyn Ewing, Ivana Filipovic and LIDC, Kristina Hannis, Sarah Kavanagh, Jaclyn Metzger, Robert Pictou, SFU First Nations Studies, SFU Archaeology, students, staff, faculty, and friends. •continue the story of Surviving Modernity
	Cedar Trash Lives Again The Tree of Life, the aromatic, healing, sheltering, traveling, housing Cedar Tree, lives in massive forests with many of our relatives; hemlock, bears, fish, Sasquatch. at Burnaby Mountain, SFU, Cedars and others felt the hard sharp teeth of the chainsaw. wishing to salvage the bark and withes for student work, to teach them the logic of this place, i began planning my gathering work. my quest for university permission to gather was problematic, yet humerous. taking the bark was considered theft, the university spokesman said, and if caught, i would be arrested for my crime. arrested! when queried about where the bark was going (what was someone else using it for?), the university spokesperson said it was trash and was going to the landfill. Cedar "trash" as the developers called it, is the skin of The Tree of Life (the beautiful Cedar, my dear Friend). A little pulling, separating, sorting, and peeling again, bark from felled and lying down trees gave me enough materials to share with several classes of students, and enough for this art project.