Monday, October 7, 2013

LOVE LETTERS

"W" is for Woven Voices, the project I designed and guided from 2007 - 2011. In past postings I have shared some of the lessons that this project taught me. This posting will be about how the project has morphed into something new yet truly an out growth of "Woven Voices". Here are the details:

LOVE LETTERS 
 A community art installation guided by Artist Sarah Haskell


   Love defines us, motivates us and binds our lives together. In this hands-on activity inspired by Buddhist Prayer flags, participants will be invited to create a paper flag prompted by something or someone that they love. 


   On the front of each flag people are invited to write and draw the first letter of something or someone that they love.

  
On the reverse side of each flag we fill in the blank:


  _________ is for _______________________

_____________________________________

Name ______________Date______________
 
Newtown CT Art Festival 9/13


   All ages and abilities of community members  are able to participate in this project, allowing for a wide variety of love letters. People are invited to create two flags, one to take home and one to leave for a community installation. 


   At the end of the day, we assemble the letters and see what we inspiring words and messages we can spell from these "Love Letters", creating a visual story of who and what we love. For example if we collect the letters P, O, H, R, T, E, N, A, and E ~ we can spell "OPEN HEART".

   
   The completed string of brightly colored "Love Letters" is donated to a public location in celebration of the deep love that connects the community.  
We spelled "Family".

   In late September I was invited to guide "LOVE LETTERS" at the annual Newtown (CT) Arts Festival. Over 50 people participated in creating letters, and look what we were able to spell: "Newtown, We are family."


L is for Love.
 "LOVE LETTERS" has lead to my own alphabet of gratitude. I am making 26 lettered flags, each one is a hand embroidered letter sewn on a brightly colored lobster pot buoy flag.  I have completed 12 flags so far and am having fun creating words with these letters!
Spelling foods I love!
   I'll post more images on my website soon.

2 comments:

Sarah D. Haskell said...

P.S. After sending out the link to this post I received MANY personal emails with words of encouragement, love and wisdom. Thanks to each of you who responded. Some tried to comment. Here is from one email:

"I truly believe that the messages from the scraps you saved at your brother's memorial site have already reached him and the entire world with their words and thoughts of peace and love. In your heart you remember him always as well, so you must know that he feels your presence and love every single day. Time passes and changes but your for him love does not."

Unknown said...

wonderful letters so colorful!
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