Dropped Doll Baby

Found in the water near a nest of baby alligators at Sawgrass Park.  

 

Poem

The cornerstone of a Texas-sized broken heart on Rte. 66. I’d like to think that this poem was written by a soldier back from WWII who left his native Brooklyn for points west only to find himself stuck in Amarillo with his suitcase because he had it bad for some young society girl whose family disapproved.

Baby Deer

A hunter’s greed has caused a baby deer to be preserved in formaldehyde for over 47 years. My father lifted me up to see this when I was 4 or 5. I remember because he wouldn’t put down his menthol cigarette and it became a balancing act not to drop ash or set me on fire as he let me take a good long look. I have lost many family treasures over the years but the baby deer remains on display at Allegany State Parkin perpetuam rei memoriam.

Louise The Unfortunate

Louise was a maid, or a seamstress or a prostitute depending whom you ask and whom you believe. In a cemetery known for is display of monumental wealth she was given a good seat and a marked grave.

The images presented here explore the attachment to things and emotions. We become trapped when we try to hold on to things that don't belong to us be it a person, place or thing. And yet wanting, needing, getting and possessing are the driving forces of life today. I find that there is no end to my own materialism and ever since that became apparent to me I have been trying to give away those things that bind me to past emotions and to think before a new object is allowed to enter my house.  

Louise the Unfortunate is one of the most remarkable graves I have ever encountered. The community in which she lived bestowed her grave and headstone upon her. She died poor and had lived as a prostitute at Natchez Under-the-Hill, but clearly she was loved or she wouldn't have been laid to rest in the wealthy portion of the cemetery next to the civic leaders of her day.  

Your final possession is your grave. What will it be like and will it reflect the life you led?

Spirituality and Materialism

November 3 - 24, 2007

Opening Reception Saturday November 3, 2007 6-9 PM Free and Open to Public