Paper Cranes Take Flight

Behind the Artwork

Paper cranes

Thirty volunteers helped assemble almost 4,000 paper birds for my ArtPrize 2013 Wing and a Prayer installation. After the nineteen-day exhibit in Grand Rapids, Michigan, several organizations or individuals contacted me, expressing an interest in the birds. The birds continue to give hope flight.

Most of the birds traveled to an inner city tutoring organization, The Stockbridge Boiler Room; this organization helps children with their schoolwork and teaches them life skills, such as bicycle repair. Another small strand flew to a family in peril as they faced a private heartbreaking situation. Later this spring the rest of the birds will travel to Asian Family Support Services of Austin, Texas to support abuse victims.

MemorialBut I wanted to highlight a special story where a few of the birds took flight to California to encourage a man dying of cancer. This gentleman’s sister emailed me after ArtPrize, requesting the paper cranes for her brother. So I agreed to donate some birds.

The woman came to collect the birds late one Friday evening. After carefully loading the origami cranes into her car, I said, “There isn’t anything magic about these birds. Your brother may still die. But the birds are a symbol of hope and healing. I will pray for your brother.” A few tears tumbled down her cheeks as we parted. Several weeks later after I inquired about her brother, she sent this response:

Funny you should email me today. We are just returning from CA. My brother passed away last week. He did receive the birds. They were beautiful and a perfect gift. We used them at his funeral on Friday. I couldn’t have thought of a better gift for him.

This moved me: the devotion of a loving sister who was determined to send a few paper birds to her brother in his final days. Although I’m not sure where these birds will end up, it’s obvious that hope continues to soar.

New Home for ArtPrize 2013 Wing and a Prayer

From the Heart

Wings of LifeWing and a PrayerWings of HopeWings of Love

Since ArtPrize, I have been diligently searching for an amazing location for my ArtPrize Wing and a Prayer installation. A friend suggested that I check with D.A. Blodgett – St John’s Home, a place for troubled youth, to see if they had any interest.

The morning before meeting the director, I spoke to an eleven-year-old from the St John’s home while he was waiting for a school bus. His eyes lit up when he saw some of the work that I had brought. Although our interaction was brief, I suddenly knew that St John’s Home was the right place for Wing and a Prayer.

St John's Home

The young boy has probably weathered a lot of turbulent winds. But if Wing and a Prayer could help rekindle his wonder and hope, then all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into work was worth it. And maybe in a small way, Wing and a Prayer could help bring hope and healing to some of the other children with broken wings.

As I left St John’s, this Emily Dickinson poem came to mind:

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

Many thanks for your support. I’m so grateful. We plan to hang the work in the next couple of weeks. But because of the fire code, the 4,000 paper birds won’t be part of the installation. The Wing and a Prayer series, however, found an amazing location—and hopefully will continue to give hope flight.

ArtPrize Visitors Speak

From the Heart

Wall of Hope with over 9000 notes

At ArtPrize, a young teenager said, “My brother has autism. He’s brilliant but he flaps his hands.
Grown adults call him ‘retard.’ Thank you for getting it. Thank you for understanding.” Then she left crying.

“This exhibit is my son,” said an attractive mom. “He loves origami. That’s all he does. I could hear his story in the other children’s stories. This work is so touching. Thank you.”

A Special Thank You

From the Heart

Wings of Life

A special thank you…

  • To the models who posed for the artwork
  • To the families who shared stories of children within Hope Network
  • And to the thirty volunteers who spent 630 hours assembling almost 4,000 paper birds

See Wing and a Prayer at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel

Vote 55278

At the Heart of Watercolor by Pamela

Behind the Artwork

Discovery - watercolor painting

After 16 difficult days in the cardiac unit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, our first son finally came home. Seven years later, we battled for 23 days for our second son’s life in Denver where he was treated at Swedish Hospital and Children’s Hospital. And our third son spent two days in the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Although all three of our sons experienced traumatic births, each one enjoys health today. But I know the tears and pain of mothers pacing hospital halls. Since with each son’s birth, I, too, had to walk the path of suffering.

In gratitude for the care our sons received, I want to enhance a healing environment through my paintings and to encourage other families with sick children. The following children’s hospitals are currently showcasing my artwork:

  • Children’s Hospital of Denver, Colorado
  • Children’s Hospital of Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Children’s Hospital of St. Paul, Minnesota
  • C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital of Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital of Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Illinois
  • Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego, California
  • Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital of Cleveland, Ohio
  • Seattle Children’s Hospital of Seattle, Washington