Traditional Art
Mixed Media
In Opposition of the Mind Killer (War Against Fear)
Mixed Media
2010, Exhibited in What's Your War?, July-August 2010, Load of Fun Gallery, Baltimore, MD
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” - Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear, from Frank Herbert’s Dune
Fear stops us. It prevents us from communicating with each other. It scares us into being stagnant and not taking action. Fear distances us and devastates our communities. It is a recurring impetus for warfare, violence, and isolation.
A history of fear has shaped urban landscapes like Baltimore. The ominous feeling of doom during the Cold War, our highway defense system and the concept of the military–industrial complex, white-flight and migration to suburbia, terrorism –the list goes on and on… all these things have molded who we are today. Fear influences the way we interact with each other. It’s a disgrace when “loitering” on stoops, what was once considered (and still is to many) a neighborhood pastime, has been prohibited in leases because it causes “trouble.” It’s a shame when people don’t even make eye contact with each other when they walk by. It’s terrible that we have set imaginary boundaries between each other because of a fear of the unknown.
We must take risks to build relationships, cultivate ideas, and create. I challenge you to be brave, overcome fear, and learn to live and embrace every action and reaction. I declare war on fear.
Illustration
A New Beginning: the Evolveing relationship between Artist and Community
“A New Beginning” is a comic depicting the inner dialogue and challenging journey of my experience during the first semester of my studies in the MA in Community Arts Program at MICA. The 10 page book describes the lessons I learned and depicts an ongoing transformation of my expectations and values as a practicing community artist. Ink and bristol board.