Wednesday, August 1st — eighteen art-enthused members of JAK’s Place, including some staff and board members, trundled off to Woodwalk Gallery to take part in an ongoing project begun by artist Jodi Brey. The Legend Agenda is “a month-long artist residency focused on creating community narrative and public art which address the theme ‘WHAT IS POSSIBLE?'”
Seated in a shady clearing in the woods, our group was given several cooperative tasks which would help to complete the project. First, we were each geven a piece of paper and our choice of one color to draw with. Each person would make one mark on the sheet and then the paper was passed to the next person, all around the table. As the different lines crossed and curled around one another, interesting shapes emerged.
The drawings helped to inspire a group poem. Again, everyone took turns adding a line. The result is an amazing mental slideshow of poetic imagery.
Our Group Poem One day in the forest... A tree fell- Making a perfect spot to sit and fish For patchwork thoughts And shadowed light. The view: Blue and purple Sitting among friends. When the tree fell, it fell in the water-- that's how it got in the picture. Enjoying life; watching new life begin. Watching TV at the edge of a moment. I'm going to cave point and building a boat Colors surround us Going for a walk with a friend; Eye-catching different designs Watching the birds and butterflys fly While swimming in the ocean waves: I notice a fish. The End.
Group Poem (PDF) suitable for printing
Another part of the process was writing, on small bits of paper, our best thought on “If you could wave a magic wand and make ONE THING POSSIBLE What would that be?” Our contributions were to be hung on a garland in the project’s gallery room. Eighteen people, eighteen very different thoughts!
Finally, we constructed a chain made of dogwood twigs. Everyone chose a branch, made a circle of it, and fastened it together with wire. Then we connected them all with smaller links, each helping a neighbor to hold and entwine the parts. When it was finished, we held it for a group portrait.
More about Jodi Brey:
www.woodwalkgallery.com/news/2012/07/jody-brey-is-in-residence/
www.woodwalkgallery.com/news/2012/07/jodi-breys-of-voice-and-sky-reception-august-5-2/
www.artawakenings.org/about-us/staff
www.thelegendagenda.com/About-Jodi.html