Participant list with assigned days and percentages

new
1. 0-1% Angela Hed
2. 1-3% Sonja Olson

waxing crescent
3. 3-8% Erin Maurelli
4. 8-15% Beth Dorsey
5. 15-23% Barb Gibson
6. 23-33% Sara R. Parr
7. 33-43% Olga S. Ricalde Moreno

first quarter
8. 44-53% Allison Bolah

waxing gibbous
9. 56-62% AnaLaura Juarez
10. 67-75% Betsy Byers
11. 77-84% Raychel Steinbach
12. 86-91% Anna Boyer
13. 93-96% Lynda Monick-Isenberg
14. 98-99% Holly Rios

full
15. 99-100% Hend Al-Mansour
16. 99-100% Rebecca Alm

waning gibbous
17. 95-99% A.K. Vincent
18. 90-96% Mary Leikvold
19. 83-91% Diana Eicher
20. 75-84% Laura Brown
21. 67-75% Monica Edwards-Larson
22. 57-65% Carol Inderieden

third quarter
23. 48-54% Jennifer Hibbard

waning crescent
24. 39-43% Pat Benincasa
25. 29-32% CB Sherlock
26. 21-23% Bridget O’Malley
27. 13-15% Abbi Allan
28. 6-9% Caitlin Warner
29. 2-4% Emily Hoisington

Thoughts (from Raychel)

My apologies for getting these on here so late, but I have been working like a mad woman getting my proof together and have been thinking more and more about the questions. 

• What does it mean to you to be collaborating with this group of women? 

I am honored to be invited to participate in this project. Some of you I know as mentors, colleagues,  friends, and others I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting. I just moved to Bangkok, Thailand in April and have been working non-stop getting everything I need to set-up shop here for 2 years. This project comes at a very important time for me as I try to re-establish myself in a new place but also long to stay connected with the fabulous artists I know in Minneapolis / Saint Paul.

• What would you like to learn or receive from the others? 

I am interested to learn other people's working process, and if some might be interested in sharing their studio set up and process work, I would LOVE to see it!

• How does this project relate to your other artwork and interests?

I have never dealt directly with the subject matter of womanhood previously in my work. I am, however, very interested in cycles, mapping, movement, and water (which I am working with in terms of tides). The more I thought about my connection to lunation, the more I realized how closely related all of my interests are with woman's cycles and the moon's effects on our bodies.

• What topics are you researching in preparation for your print?

Besides lunation, I have been researching the topographical maps of the moon, the tides, the ocean, reefs, and the menstrual cycle as it pertains to my assigned day in the lunar cycle.

• How are you interpreting the proportions of dark and light visually and conceptually?

I am using a combination of printing methods - photo polymer plate, linoleum block, and mono printing. I am keeping in mind the percentage of light and dark with the plate and block. When these layers have been completed, the exact shade I choose for the monoprinted portion will (hopefully) maintain the percentage and add a bit more illumination to the piece (hopefully the silver ink I ordered arrives in time!).

• What thoughts or concerns do you have about making something that will be understood in the context of 28 other prints that you haven't seen yet?

I normally don't find myself spending this much time going back and forth about what the print should look like - usually I try to create several mono prints and work on them simultaneously. Eventually I abandon all but the ones that I feel are best conveying my meaning.
With this piece, I have felt a significant amount of pressure to 'get it right'. And I have also tried to consider how my piece will set in the book amongst the rest - for example, I considered sewing into my print, but didn't know how the stitching on the backside might negatively impact the piece on the next page, so decided against sewing.

• What is significant to you about what it means to be female and experience the rhythm of the lunar cycle?

I am mostly amazed when talking to my partner about how he doesn't notice certain things about what is happening inside his body. This isn't necessarily a female-only ability, but for me, being aware of what is 'normal' for my body during certain times of the month, during season changes, and when changing environment is very important to how I feel I fit into the world around me.

Allison Bolah's thoughts

Apologies to Allison for the delay, she sent me this for posting a long time ago but it got lost in my inbox. The rest of this post is directly quoting her:


What does it mean to you to be collaborating with this group of women? How does this project relate to your other artwork and interests? What is significant to you about what it means to be female and experience the rhythm of the lunar cycle?

• I had an interesting (and somewhat contentious) conversation with an MFA classmate about menstruation. He said he wouldn't want to be a woman and have to deal with his period every month. It's funny, I've never 'resented' or wished my period away; I've been working to bring myself in sync with my body, its needs throughout my menstrual cycle, and its connection to the lunar cycle. In fact, when things run smoothly during my period, I take it as an indication that in my larger life, I'm doing well. I think women (very generally speaking) have this built in rhythm that can serve as a metaphor for other things. If there's such a thing as women's culture, this and childbirth might be the root of the symbols that shape it. In my work, I think about language; far from excluding trans-women or other for whom the accepted biology of 'womanhood' is not the determinant of their woman-ness, menstruation as concept not an experience is something we can share between women to elucidate our understanding of other lived experiences.

What would you like to learn or receive from the others?

• I have no idea what I'm doing! (Seriously) I'd love to see how other artist respond to and shape hints, loose parameters.

What would you like to share of yourself with the group?

• I worked in isolation until August 2012; I hope to bring my 'A' game and see my work in conversation with others'. I don't even know what I have to share at this point.

What topics are you researching in preparation for your print?

• I'm pretty certain I'll be working with text, so my research is how to illuminate that text on black paper. I'm thinking of working with silver ink…

How are you interpreting the proportions of dark and light visually and conceptually?

• The silver words will mathematically (loosely) take up 15% of the page

What thoughts or concerns do you have about making something that will be understood in the context of 28 other prints that you haven't seen yet?

• No concerns. Well, maybe that my work will be very plain or unskilled as I'm still getting the hang of things…

What are your hopes and dreams for this project?

• I hope my portion comes out right!!!

Who do you imagine to be the ideal audience for this project?

• I'd love the self-identified women in my life to find personal resonance with the work and and the self-identified men in my life to know a little bit more about the depth and breadth of experiences of womanhood.

Thoughts on Paper?

Hi all, Erin sent me this:

"Paper:  http://www.frenchpaper.com/

I have been looking at French Paper Company for dark paper.

There is a rich dark blue, and a pure black under the 'Construction-Tones'  (They have funny names for all of their collections.)  50 sheets of 80lb Cover, size 12.5" x 19" is about $28.  This would be fine for Letterpress printing, relief block printing.  I'm not sure about silk screen - it might curl.

It is not 100% cotton paper, so it is not forever archival, but I think it would be ok.  They have many other colors too, if people are interested."

I'm thinking of using Rives Lightweight, which is the same weight: 115 gsm, 80 lbs/1000

 

You don't have to have your working proof printed on your final paper if you are still researching and testing papers to find out what will work best for your print. If you have comments or questions let's discuss them on this blog!

 

Emily

Hi Emily and all others,

Finally registered successfully to this blog. There are only found 5 posts. Is that all or is there something more?
It surprised me that I am assigned the full moon. I like it of course. But I did not think I will get it.
I was humbled. Thanks
I am working on creating a drawing for a photo-polymer plate. Nothing worthy of display yet.