Embarking on new chapters

A Fraternal Shield and Quiver of Arrows from the Taft Museum’s recent exhibition, “Mystery and Benevolence: Masonic & Odd Fellows Folk Art”.

It is harvest season and I’ve spent the past few days getting settled in at Mother’s Milk Artist Residency in Newton, Kansas; working on my creative writing projects and reconsidering what it means to be an Artist in 2025.

It is also the first few days of a whole new decade for me. As of last week I am now officially in my 50’s and I’m really appreciating the opportunity to look back to reconsider where I have landed.

It’s a place I never would have expected even a year ago!

At the end of April I was offered the position of Exhibitions Director with Visionaries + Voices, an organization that I’ve been familiar with (and a fan of,) for quite awhile.

In 2008/2009 when I was working for ArtWorks (back when they were still known for the pigs, not the murals,) and I was very pregnant with my son Desmond, I organized an exhibition of environmental-themed works that included (then) V+V artists Antonio Adams and Adam Maloney—but never made it to the opening, as I went into labor 11 days before my due date. It was one of my earliest chances at curating and I was hooked.

Working at V+V over the past several months, I am reminded of why progressive studios filled with artists fearlessly pursuing what they love is exactly the right place for me. I am so excited to be doing this work.

With Jupiter in my 6th house, I’m a person who never lacks for jobs, so—despite being laid off from my role as Director of Exhibitions at Wave Pool in December of 2024 due to financial constraints on the organization—over the course of the past year I have kept myself busy!

I built this website; matriculated into the second year of Austin Coppock’s Fundamentals of Astrology 3-year course; created and ran two astrologically-timed programs for The Well, curated Cleveland Institute of Art’s annual alumni group exhibition; worked on writing, editing, and collating copy for my friend Sara Vance Waddell’s upcoming catalogue of Feminist artworks from her personal collection; and applied to a TON of artist grants, opportunities, and residencies.

And because I had applied for SO many art opportunities I also received a LOT of rejections.

It’s hard to read those after spending hours and sometimes days on each specific proposal. Things just don’t work out sometimes.

But I think that’s what being an artist—maybe even being human—is all about: taking risks.

Knowing that you’re going to make a lot of mistakes along the way. And sometimes the Universe just has other plans for you.

I probably would’ve never left my old job had they been able to continue paying me. I loved the work. And that community.

But it’s a new day. And many of my life’s greatest blessings have come to me in ways that I least expected.

It’s trite to say it, (and let’s not pretend the world isn’t burning rn,) but I’m ready for the next chapter.

Onward and upward, nose to the grindstone, head to the stars.

~ If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading. I don’t have any answers. But I’m interested in asking the questions together ~