Individuals may rack up 5,847 synthetic Facebook friends in our cyber culture. But, as isolation escalates and meaningful relationships dwindle, loneliness increases. To help address these relational needs, I create spaces, as a hospitality artist, to help viewers feel cared for and validated—through art. Our participatory art focuses on the viewer and on healing. To…
So MANY of you have LOVED our past exhibits. Broken Wings promises to be just as powerful and encouraging. But we can’t do these gigantic exhibits by ourselves. Well, we can. But then YOU would miss out on the blessings and excitement of being part of our powerful work during ArtPrize. So, we invite your…
In 2012, Courage Ablaze included seven-foot pillars portraying Congo’s stories of rape and images of the fierce determination of Congolese women. An eight-foot copper tree, the Flame Tree, held charred frames representing the eight million people slaughtered in Congo’s holocaust. The small pillars portrayed the courageous survivors rising up out of the ashes and rebuilding…
Kara, a young woman, had been battling cancer for several years. To portray her story for ArtPrize 2011, I combined the paintings of Kara in Braving the Wind with an interactive metal Healing Tree. Visitors were invited to write notes, honoring loved ones struggling with cancer and then hanging the notes on the tree. This…
Who We Are We create spaces where visitors feel personally cared for and validated. Our healing work has touched thousands of ArtPrize visitors—one person at a time (ArtPrize is a huge art event held in Grand Rapids, Michigan). Last year, 70,000 ArtPrize visitors participated with our soul healing artwork by writing Let Go notes. Your…
In partnership with the Go Red For Women movement, my 2010 ArtPrize work, called Woman in Red, features Natalie Ruggeri. Natalie, the model portrayed in the paintings, tells her story as a congenital heart survivor. Following heart surgery, Natalie offers this advice: “Listen to your symptoms. Don’t take things for granted. Cherish what you have.”…