side quest
the lamp is on
“sometimes we are not legible” of montreal.
we had our show and tell for the july cohort sunday eve - cyn lê made us a beautiful feast of many things - a meal of side quests if you will - all things they had never prepared before - steamed lemongrass sea bass with ginger–scallion beurre monté, spiced miso butter glazed tofu, summer bb fingerlings - two ways, blistered cà chua, roasted chinese cà tím, roasted petite cà rốt, smashed cucumber salad (english, serpent, lemon), garlic chive relish, spring onion oil, tahini–soy spread, crispy shallots, local campanelle tossed with olive oil & fresh parm, herb slab & onion focaccia on the corners of the table. plus a bottle of sparkling rosé donated by scribe winery. ( cà x 3 - fun alliteration translation…cà chua = tomato, cà tím = eggplant & cà rốt = carrot )
after we enjoyed the bounty - we made quick work of the dishes as a team - felt like maybe 15 min and we were done. we stepped out on the porch & took in the evening light - then moved ourselves into the living room for the special congregation of sharing thought on the work at hand.
gracianne kirsch went first. they played their video on their old dvd/tv combo while reading from a poem about an ever changing body - acknowledging the farce that the body could ever be in a fixed state - it is an ever changing experience - the sensations not always comfortable & for many of us, mostly uncomfortable - usually these feelings kept deeply under cover - so refreshing to hear such clear, compassionate and sweet language around something so universal. they also shared a life sized canvas bound human leg they made since their arrival. such heft and structure - body like - but in a fixed state - we passed the leg around - one of gracianne’s side quest(s) - as they make all their own props. they plan to hang their green screen for filming in the barn. this may still be installed and used somehow during the open house….
claire astrow shared the work she and her grandmother have collaborated on and ways that they communicate through the work. they will be continuing this conversation while claire is onsite. maybe even working on the same paper together via snail mail. she is also working on a color grid of her watercolors - this grid is the side quest for claire. & her grandmother is far ahead of her in this particular conversation - she got to work right after claire told her the idea & asked her to join the residency with her via mail - she already has many paintings complete. upon arrival, claire dove into her grid in order to land here - to prepare herself for the work at hand - so, in some ways it is as if her grandmother is also here with us. her spirit is felt and read in the paintings claire shared with us.
sid k. zhang relayed some of her conceptual & experimental thought process that she shares with her theater collaborators. she has been meeting with the group offsite in sf conceiving of a performance that bends time and season. this may be performed live at the open house or they may start to experiment with video and create more of an installation - we will have to stay tuned to learn more. she also shared her favorite handmade abstract puppet - an ostrich feather - it moves like a live animal but it’s shape & movement suggests something more ephemeral - less embodied. perhaps it will make another appearance. i think the foray into video is the side quest for sid. the crew will be performing/shooting/installing in the back shack.
erik soto - vallejo’s current poet laureate - talked a little bit about his process, his running practice and duende - how the night time makes room for the disconnect of the mind from the distractions of human activity during the day. he shared how his goal during the residency is to 1. finish the current manuscript which masticates regression and 2. move toward a sleep pattern conducive to teaching again in the fall. the night is on his mind. there is a mask he hopes to make while here at winslow - as he feels he would have to travel to mexico to find one to purchase - a very specific mask - one which he feels embodies duende - this is erik’s side quest. surrealism notwithstanding. & here is his book.
an erik addendum - i woke up this morning to a text from erik - the mask he has realized is a much longer journey involving woodwork - perhaps 3 months - so he will instead focus on flipping the concept of “duende is the moment before the bull charges the bullfighter” - it might take the form of a chap book - stay tuned….i have erik wearing the mask at midnight in my mind - charging the bull.
***
at the end of june we had three different solo residencies overlapping.
james orlando was invited to spend time at winslow with his art practice as he was transitioning from a job that had required most of his attention for several years back towards his art practice. he slept - he was present - he had wool, thread & needle in his hand most of the time. he held space for studio visits with artists onsite he overlapped with and one local artist he invited for a visit as he wanted to introduce him to the project. james is great at inquiry and propelling conversation in proactive and thought provoking ways - a real pleasure having him onsite and engaged with all who moved through. he also wrote a beautiful reflection on what winslow house project is and means to him - here is a lil bit…
“The Winslow House Project offered exactly what I didn’t know I needed: spaciousness. It removed me from the relentless pace of daily life and invited me to listen—to myself, to other artists, and to the quiet voice that had become nearly impossible to hear beneath deadlines, responsibilities, and expectations. What surprised me most was not simply that the retreat was restorative. It was profoundly healing.”
in addition, james also hosted the mare island studios planning meeting at whp - while onsite they informed me that whp will be recognized at their “art of community” event this year - what an honor!
ash michelle c. overlapped with james - her proposal titled divorce dilemmas - she fully immersed herself in all winslow holds space for - sleep, emotional process, presence, asking questions of the self & the work, persevering through & with the work, all the while preparing herself for an even more isolated residency without wifi in complete isolation where she is right now as i write this. getting comfy with the discomfort of living. she worked on deconstructing the last sheet slept on with her exhusband - taking care of each square by ironing and finishing the edges with a seam. the goal to reconfigure it somehow with the many poems written over the time since her divorce - one on each micro sheet - all to be reassembled in some sort of quilt - perhaps as an installation down the road - both sides visible - with nothing to hide. it was lovely to see her work and connect with fellow residents. she even left us a poem in español - check it out next time you visit in the upstairs bathroom. & here are some words from ash…
Winslow House Project became an unexpected experience in art, poetry and moving through processes. In a way, I went into the residency thinking it would be like other programs I had partaken in. Go in, daydream a bit, make art, produce produce produce, go home with a sense of tangible accomplishment. But from upon first entering the space, everything just felt different—in the most fulfilling and natural way. Nine days gave me more than I could ask for from a residency. Yes, I got to make art. But more importantly, I found myself personally and professionally supported to think of impossible ideas and seek ways to make them work while enjoying the process.
& for fun - a little side quest (i see in retrospect) from ash’s practice while onsite - a poetry sculpture to get her yayas out…
& then cristine blanco continued her sleeping residency. visit number no.2. she got in bed very shortly after her arrival - as a mother of two small children, she had been hungry for it & with the memory of the rest from her first sleep iteration here - there was no time to waste. however, she also made time to spend with james and ash - and eventually work! felt like a huge surprise somehow. she had been researching and making seed vessels and ended up designing a new one! she left with a big smile and new energy to dive back into all of the work - family, motherhood, her practice & the work outside the family to support the framework. i think cristine’s residency format might be my current favorite. so rewarding to see how generative a few days of rest can be.
***
having the youth onsite making work is a big part (in my mind) of the generative energy afoot - an intergenerational vibe. residents often comment how inspiring it can be to have this energetic work woven into the days here. usually an un-calendar-ed and spontaneous occurrence it blows through here once in awhile and feels fantastic. if you know who i am talking about, you know what i mean. they are part of the fabric round here. leo and ava continually surprise us with their projects - this one involving 100 folded paper cranes about two feet high & wide, a cardboard house with windows and shingles, a latex cone and circle - each 4-5 feet in height and width. all of this took weeks to prepare in/out of life leading up to the photo shoot which eventually took place out on the base in alameda.
***
for the month of june bill basquin (whp fellow) and abigail severance were in residence at confloptus - the whp auxiliary space in oakland - two filmmakers exploring their process without film. it was amazing observing both of them at work with other mediums exploring light and time. drawings, photographs of trains, buildings and fires - filtering the evening window light with tree branches onto a custom built wall/movie screen - a living cinema if you will. the open door happened in the middle of the residency with private studio visits the remainder of the month. many thanks to abigail and bill for their time spent adding to and participating in all the confloption….while they were in residence they had shows at ATA, the Lab and re:sound.
***
deconstruction & deinstallation, repair & reformation is part of the process - part of living, no?
***
we had another sort of resting & sleeping residency - valerie imus & amanda eicher - both super heroes of bay area art world - advocates in every sense of the word. it was a pleasure to spend time with them - listening to their thoughts on many things including (& not limited to) what purpose a board serves in a nonprofit reality? what is the possible future of the bay area art community post institutional collapse? will there be a cornerstone reformation? what might it look like? who are the folks trying to stitch it back together in a new way? could this be an exciting time after such devastation? all this and more, while taking a pause from their working lives to slow down and reconnect with themselves.
***
my own personal side quest - one of many, but a most recent one - i was invited to lunch by a friend in vallejo to discuss a possible residency collaboration in 2027 with the nonprofit he works for - also to meet an artist who is also a social practice educator - one who is transporting & sharing a dove & a story.
we were welcomed with a most beautiful care and consideration by our hosts (his partner, a budding herbalist - full of remedial wisdom) - it was exactly what i needed honestly as things have been a bit nonstop - to be cooked for and get to dream of futures with like minded humans is a real boon - essential to staying the course actually - generative interactions equal fuel. here is his latest newsletter…a good read!
anyhow, i had decided to walk to their house to see what i could see on the way - a slow walk of noticing - i had set aside an hour for a 30 min walk - i had predicted the hill(s) involved & the stopping for shade and of course treasure hunting….the timing was perfect.
a memorial seen on sacramento - for “CC” - a more traditional altar was on the other side of the street
***
looking back, i am pretty sure it was when emily gui was in residence back in july 23 - she told me about the radiant threshold deck by centa schumacher - i picked it up for the first time in a couple years on july 1st and was reminded how beautiful the photos are. & just now as i am writing this i realize that this exchange was exactly 3 years ago! anyhow, when i picked up the deck i was at a bit of crossroads - or more like at the end of a particular rope - without thinking about it too much - i shuffled the deck and eventually pulled out card no. 31: lightning. to paraphrase the booklet description … listen to your gut when it speaks - & if it isn’t speaking, prepare yourself & wait for lightning to strike - wait until the answer or the step is clearly illuminated - do not force it - eventually the light will come.
& then, later that evening, i looked down and realized i had my lightning t-shirt on - laughing out loud as they say. this! is what we are doing here at whp - preparing the self for when the lightening strikes. it takes a certain amount of time and space with the self, with the complexities before us, to see it all clearly and come to a level of understanding - we might hear the thunder and miss the lightning if we are not present - not looking at the sky so to speak.
***
fourth of july in downtown vallejo is one of my favorite local parades - a motley crew - which is what we love about vallejo & hold near our hearts…
***
& some more local appreciation…. how lucky we are in vallejo to have such lovely people doing such meaningful space making - two neighbors village & personal space (they actually share a roof!) are both such inspiring & vital pieces of the fabric around here. in these parts, to have a gallery of such vision (lisa) and a restaurant/community space created with such care (tony, melanie, leah, chelsea, nate, sammy, …) serving thier own menu of amazing food, hosting popups, spinning a wide array of vinyl with a different dj every night & now serving us coffee in the morning starting this weekend…. pure boon! check em out side by side this weekend if you are around - or perhaps before/after the whp open house next weekend on the 26th - anytime is the right time. xo
***
& at confloptus for the month of july we have whp fellow hannah möller (aka TSK) in residence - everything must be used - her open door & book launch approaches at the end of the month - details below in the upcoming section - for now some images of her process…
upcoming -
whp open house - sunday july 26 from 3-7 - a durational event - so planning on the span of time is a good idea - rsvp if you plan to join us! gracianne kirsch - claire astrow - cyn lê - erik soto - sid zhang
confloptus - everything is waiting to be used - open door & book launch saturday august 1 from 4-7pm hannah möller (TSK) is the whp fellow in residence for the month of july - come see what she has been up to! & rsvp please
about relevancy whp dance performance - saturday august 9th from 8 - 10pm - a dance performance by marintha tewksbury and dominique zeltzman who will be in residence for a week leading up to this day. join us! & yes, rsvp please
sugar cloud seance at whp - saturday august 15th from noon-ish to midnight-ish give or take - a day long durational occurrence conceived of by john davis and keith evans - winsow house as instrument of light and sound - wrangled this year - no. 3 - by kathleen killian - artists: john davis, keith evans, sean horchy, kathleen quillian, leo blantz, ava bolton, olivia ronan, helen shewolf tseng, vic wong, ebti, sylvia hughes-gonzales, emma doven, marintha tewksbury, quinn keck, ava koohbor, christian nagler and potentially suki o’kane… & again, reach out (RSVP) and let us know you will join us for some part of the day, if not all day!
***
as an expression of time & fruition at whp - we have recently received TSK’s b&w film photographs of work tempo from a may workshop with david buuck and abby crain - cohosted with spt. a side quest of moving and writing ….
***
& the green screen is up! i just received this from gracianne…
make yourself ready for the lightning where and when you can - a side quest can be helpful in this regard….take good care everyone. xo
I just love seeing all that is taking shape at Winslow. So in awe! ❤️