Check out our chat with Deane Bowers, the visionary behind the project "The Together While Apart Project." She talks about how Covid19 forced her to think outside the box as an artist and create projects that instigated connection in order to help herself cope while at the same time inspiring hope in others during a hard time. Learn more about this project here: https://deanevbowersart.com/
Learn more about the Take an Art Break Movement on the Art is Moving website here.
Check out our chat with Deane Bowers, the visionary behind the project "The Together While Apart Project." She talks about how Covid19 forced her to think outside the box as an artist and create projects that instigated connection in order to help herself cope while at the same time inspiring hope in others during a hard time. Learn more about this project here: https://deanevbowersart.com/
Learn more about the Take an Art Break Movement on the Art is Moving website here.
Preparing.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Hey, we're here everybody.
Speaker 3:Got it.
Speaker 1:Are we here?
Speaker 3:Hi.
Speaker 1:Hey. Okay. There we are. Okay. We're live. Welcome. Welcome. So really excited to have Dean Bowers. Um, we heard about her project through email and I thought you were just a fantastic fit for our podcast or taking our break. Oh Yeah. So introduce yourself and tell the world,
Speaker 3:Um, okay.
Speaker 1:You're and
Speaker 3:What you, hi everybody. I am Dean Bowers. I am an artist, a wife and a mother, um, from South Carolina. I live on a barrier island outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and I am most recently coming off one of the most, um, inspiring, gratifying projects I have ever done in my career as an artist it's called the together while apart art project mm-hmm<affirmative>. Um, and that's what I'm gonna tell y'all about today. And I am just honored to be here. I loved what Lisa and Lauren are doing with not only their podcasts, but their take a break, um, art break emails every day. So if y'all haven't subscribed to their emails yet you have to because they're so inspiring. Oh. So
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you. Welcome. Welcome. Thank
Speaker 2:You. So, wow. You wanna go around and tell people that for us<laugh>
Speaker 3:Yeah, I definitely will. I definitely will.
Speaker 2:That's so great. Um, well thank you so much for being here. I do think that this is such a great fit because you basically encompass everything that we're about. Um, it, your project inspired the question and you can basically, you can tell us about your project while answering the, this question because I, I, I really think they're sort of one and the same, but it's what do people, you know, uh, what happens to people when they make art together? Um, because art is moving is really interested in that. Um, and that's what sort of sparked a lot of our projects because we noticed that basically became friends when they began to make art together. Now COVID sort of, kind of set a dive bomb into that idea. Yeah. But what we're discovering, and I think maybe you're discovering is that you still can make art together while you're apart. So it's just dive into it and tell us
Speaker 3:All exactly well, and that was one thing I believe the pandemic taught us is that we had to think out of the box and we had to do things in new, a different ways schools were doing it. Teachers were doing it, offices were doing it. And so artists, um, were rising to the occasion and doing things on zoom. And, um, the great thing for me about this is that you can build a community of creators from afar. I mean, two of the people in the together while a project, um, were on the west coast in California. Oh. But we were all still able to share this experience. Although we were creating in our own timeframe and on our own schedules, we still were enjoying this experience and it was just amazing. Um, and I think COVID broke down the barriers, um, and allowed everybody to do things. Um, I don't know if it was out of desperation or necessity, but we really all had to think outside of the box.
Speaker 1:So how did you come up with project and how did you also get the people too?
Speaker 3:Well, I, I saw on Instagram and Facebook, all these beautiful souls, doing things with their gifts, they were holding, um, just self-talk classes for people, free yoga classes, whatever. And I was so inspired by the outpouring of the kindness of strangers while we were all in the lockdown phase of the pain endemic. And I was so inspired. I said, I've gotta make a difference. I can either I can go two ways. I can curl up in a ball and be apathetic, or I can figure out a way to use my gifts. And I'm not only creative, but I do have a organizational streak, which is sometimes not heard of in an artist<affirmative> and I can, I can do something with my creativity and get people to help me. And so I read a, I don't know if y'all have ever heard of king author baking company they're um, they do a lot of gluten free, um, products, but they're based in Vermont. Oh. And I get their emails and they had a blog about out a quilt they did for their employees, um, during the lock in stage. And it was a, a traditional sewing quilt where they sent, um, uh, square pieces of fabric to maybe 12 employees. And then at the end, the master quilter put them together and it's wall hanging in their company headquarters. Oh. And so that got me thinking, but I thought, well, I'm not a quilter. I'm not a Soer. I, um, I am a found object artist, um, mixed media mm-hmm<affirmative> um, and I used a lot of sustainable products, so how can I make this, uh, work for me? And I started walking around my house looking for things, and I went down in my garage and I literally opened the door to my garage and all of the shipping boxes that I had accumulated in the lockdown phase. Oh, wow. Came tumbling down. So I believe it was the universe intervening and throwing the cardboard boxes at me. Wow. Um,<affirmative> and so I've just, I started playing with the cardboard and cutting it up and I realized that a six by six square would be perfect and it would be lightweight and easy to mail even if I had to mail it abroad. And, um, I was keeping the, the project sustainable by repurposing the cardboard. Um, and I really, I wanted people to think out of the box, what better way is to send them a piece of an old box than to encourage them that's. And so I filmed people, I, I was on a, um, Instagram live with the, with the artist who sort of gave me the confidence to go for this. Oh. Um, way back in August, it's called teaching artist podcast. Oh. And it's by Rebecca pots. And, um, so she had me on Instagram live to talk about my personal, the art, but I asked her at the end, if I could just float the idea of this project out. And she said, sure. And so her listeners are all over the country, um, especially in the Midwest and on the west coast mm-hmm<affirmative>. And, um, so I just, I put an announcement out and I said, I don't know how this is gonna work out. I don't have a, uh, a blueprint for it, but I am so inspired to do something and to make a beautiful piece of art from our collective experience during the pandemic. And so, um, I had people email me that afternoon, and then I started emailing anybody and everybody, I knew, um, I used to travel to art shows as an artist. And so I had, um, tons of connections across the country. And I just, I started, um, literally texting people and calling people and saying, would you be a part of this? Wow. And I got a lot of turndowns because people were worried that I hadn't really thought it through. And, um, it was August and they were thinking about the holidays and kids going back to school mm-hmm<affirmative>. Um, so I came away with a group of 18 and everybody was like, thank you so much. This is coming at such a beautiful time. I'm so, uh, they, they all felt like they wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They were, they were dwelling on all the losses. And I said, I know let's, let's take our collective sadness and channel it into creating something that hopefully will solve a tiny little corner in our country. So that's what we did. Wow. Amazing. And we had a ball along the way. I really did not want it to be either a time suck or a social media suck for people. So I did a lot of snail mailing cuz I love getting, um, mail and as y'all can, could tell at, at the beginning of this, I'm not very technological. So I, um, so I felt better doing the snail mail and I signed people, snail mail buddies, and probably twice a month I would send them inspirational quotes from, um, famous artists and writers and just to keep everybody's momentum up, um, and motivation and inspiration up. I basically created a project that I wanted to personally experience and I just let 18 people come along with me. So, um, and like I, like I told y'all I live a barrier island outside of Charleston, so I'm already geographically isolated during the pandemic. And so I've really felt the isolation and I, I took great comfort in my online connections. Um, I really believe that online we're all neighbors. Um, some of us are better neighbors than the others. And so I wanted to be neighborly and reach out to people who, who needed, um, an extra friend during this unprecedented time that was changing day in and day out.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, um, tell me, was there any sort, a theme, any, um, or was it basically, uh, do what you wanna do on the sixth
Speaker 3:Part? Yeah, it was, um, basically think outside of the box. Okay. And take all of your emotions that you are experiencing right now, whether it's rage, anger, sadness, heartache, hope after whatever it is and channel it into this piece. And I sent people a couple of pieces of cardboard. So they had one just to play with and get to get the feel of cardboard. Um, and then I said, send one or two back to me. It doesn't matter. Um, but just whatever is in your heart at this time, let it flow through your hands and onto this cardboard. And I did not share the pieces with each artist until they all came back to me. Oh cool. And what blew my mind is the synergy. Um, because we had this shared experience, they were all happy hopeful pieces. And when I started them out to bring them together into a tapestry of, um, you know, collaborative art, I had chills, I, I was so excited to see how one, one would bleed into the other. It was just incredible. And, um, to have these 18 different artists who believed in my vision who created, um, this, this artwork that had so much energy and commonality to it yet was unique. It was, it was so heartwarming.
Speaker 1:Can you, um, maybe tell us a story about one of the participants and, and how they maybe transformed or any
Speaker 3:Sure. We'll had, I, I had a mother daughter, um, crew and one of them, um, did the Ruth Bader Ginsburg piece and her piece is at the top left hand. And then her daughter did the piece at the top. Uh, I'm sorry. I'm one was at the right top and one was at the left top and the mother daughter I'll tell you one of'em. Um, the non Ruth Bader Ginsburg piece was, um, she used to proverb from, um, thigh, not con at Tibetan Mon. And it basically said no moti no, no mud, no Lotus. Oh. And the message was without suffering. We can't have, um, goodness and enjoyment. And I mean, that was just so beautiful. Wow. So that was, um, two of them. Um, another one was a friend of mine from Charlottesville, Virginia, who was a music teacher. And so he, he had no idea what he was doing. And I said, just, just, just be yourself on that piece of artwork. And he had a wine and cheese, little get together in his driveway and invited two of the participants who were also teacher with him and they created their squares one night under the moon, rising with red wine and cocktails. So that was another fun story. Um, and then I had a, um, uh, artist from Ohio who picks up, um, mixed media from, um, the lake lake air around Cleveland. And, um, she just, she did a beautiful piece with, um, flip flops in the sun at the beach. And it was, it was sort of hauntingly, beautiful. Um, it brought tears to my eyes when I got it. Wow. Um, I'm trying to think. Um, I had a lot of people who just wanted bright hat colors. Right. And so, um, they, they painted florals and, um, a lot of people, um, one girl did a, um, mixed media piece of a large teapot because that represented hospitality to her. And that's what this piece was all about. Um, let's see, Rebecca pots did, um, use scalpy for hers. She's in Los Angeles. Mm-hmm<affirmative> and her piece was very textured and echoed both the earthquakes and the fires that were raging around California and probably are still raging now. Yeah, they are. Which I, which I thought was so beautiful. Um, let's see. I'm trying to think,
Speaker 2:Let me ask, let me ask you a question. Um, so we, we sort of mentioned this, uh, on our break day when we were having a conversation, I've been thinking about it since, um, like it, it feels like art was your excuse to connect. It's almost like it, it got, at least in my experience, it was harder to connect with people, obviously, um, during the lockdown on COVID and then it, it almost kind of shifted our own personalities. Mm-hmm<affirmative> and these, these weird social anxieties in a way. So do you feel like part of you, like, because I I'm just thinking of these participants that came to a driveway to make art together.
Speaker 3:I know. Isn't that cool?
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's amazing. It's amazing. And like, they would not necessarily have thought of without your ins. And so I just love that art can be this amazing excuse to connect with people when you don't know what else to say
Speaker 3:Exactly. And, you know, I'm afraid this project would've never happened and I would've never had the drive to do it, had it not been for the pandemic, but I just, I knew we all needed to create some kind of narrative, whether it was written or visual of what we were going through. And I did not want to look back on this time in history and think, gosh, what a sour plus depressive pessimistic person. I was, I wanted to look back that I had rolled up my sleeves and was trying to make a difference and was trying to befriend other people who were also feeling, um, isolated. And there were so many people out there that they all were like, yes, yes. Put me down. I wanna participate. I want in, so there was such a need for that. And, um, I think the other, their blessing was the pandemic caused a lot of us to have to slow down and not just totally focus solely on our individual art careers and our art businesses that we all did wanna be part of something bigger. Um, and this piece has been dedicated to healthcare and frontline workers. And we all knew that these healthcare workers and frontline workers needed to be recognized and we wanted them to know we see them and we honor them and they are heroes. And that was really important. Um, and that's why I never got overwhelmed with the organizational part of this project because I knew that air work was, would honor these, these brilliant, amazing kind, um, giving souls who are still in the trenches.
Speaker 1:That's right. That's right. And I have two questions. Um, where did it go? The, the piece. Okay. And then the other question I have is the community of artists that you brought together. Did you bring them together, like on a zoom call so they could like see the whole thing and connect?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Um, we have not, we've done one zoom call on a Saturday and it was not well attended. Um, they have seen it via video and, um, lots and lots of pictures. We have posters available. They've had note cards, um, online, um, lots of, but, um, none of them have really seen it up close and personal. And so to answer your first question, it is on a 10 month exhibition tour right now, before it is permanently acquired. Oh. And it just came back from its first stop, um, at the university of Alabama Birmingham medical center. Oh. And unfortunately, a lot of the patients could not see it because they're in their rooms quarantine, but the healthcare workers saw it. And I tell you, um, I have not seen the piece since June. So when it came back to last week, I unwrapped it just to make sure it was all in good shape. Mm-hmm<affirmative> and I was blown away. I think it absorbed the energy of the healthcare workers there because I've been looking at, you know, pictures and copies of it since June. But to see the actual 36 by 48 piece in person, it was, was such a beautiful reminder to me. Um, and so I've quickly wrapped it back up. It was picked up this morning and it is going to the Hickory museum of art in Hickory, North Carolina for six months. Wow. Um, and then it will go to the medical college of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, um, to be in their central hospital for three months. Wow. And then the university of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, um, is acquiring it for their central hospital. Oh. And they have been so wonderful. They wanted the piece yesterday, but they have allowed me to honor all the exhibits, um, that I had already scheduled before we were able to make the permanent acquisition work. And so that will be installed, um, June 20, 22.
Speaker 4:Wow.
Speaker 2:So I love that. It's I love that it's traveling to different, especially since you wanted to honor the healthcare.
Speaker 3:Exactly. And we had approached, I had, I had approached probably 50 healthcare organizations across the country. Um, Cedar Sinai considered us and, um, I looked at some places on the west coast. Um, but it just came, I don't know if it was timing. And I found out a lot of art curators are still working from home, so they're not getting their emails and a time. Um, and so by the time I had gone through the process with UVA, um, I had started to hear back from some of the, um, hospitals and I had to turn'em down. And so I'm just starting a brand new collaborative art project. And I promised them, they will be first on my list to contact when the piece is done so we can make them part of the next exhibit.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So that, that's, that's my next question. I mean, it sounds like through what you've been saying is that like COVID has almost changed you as a obviously person, but it seems as though it's changed you as a, as an artist, as a working artist.
Speaker 3:Totally. And I will tell you a lot of my brick and mortar, um, art galleries that I was a part of have gone under because of high rents and whatnot. A lot of the art shows have gone under some of them are coming back, but that's just not where I am anymore. And the, this group project, um, format for me is so exciting because, um, um, bringing together a group of people it's like co having coffee with people, wine talk, mindfulness is just amazing. And so I feel like I'm checking off all these little things in my self fulfillment box and at the same time, bringing people together who would not, um, be brought together any other way. So I will say one other thing neat about the, um, together while apart project, um, one of my friends who lives in Washington DC saw it and she said, this piece needs to be in the Smithsonian. Wow. So I was like, what the hell I'm gonna, yeah. Um, yeah, I'm gonna sit, you know, propose to the Smithsonian that we permanently donated. And at that point they were still closed and they were going to be very, very particular of what kind of pandemic, um, material they would take on. But they said, we are ha we have an online exhibit that's called stories of 2020, and here is a submission form. And we would love you to submit your piece. And so I did, and it's the one there, so, oh my God, that, that really exciting. Yes. That's really exciting.
Speaker 1:And it's almost like, um, the pandemic it to me, it's like you dreaming bigger. Right?
Speaker 3:I think so. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's amazing
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 1:That's the limit<laugh>
Speaker 3:Well, and you know, that's when I, um, the, um, email I sent y'all about saying yes, that was my message to people is that you're not going to find the answers sitting online and just doom, stay scrolling, go outside and listen, listen to yourself and take a walk and be out in nature and, and just, um, give your inspiration and your aspirations, the energy that they deserve, because you never know who you can touch or change. And I believe we it's a ripple effect. So I'm so grateful, um, to the other 18 artists who rallied around me and supported me and said, we don't know how it's going to, or not either, but we believe in you and we support your, your big idea. So, um, so, and I'm doing it again. I've got a brand new project it's called the fresh start project and there are 23 of us from nine different states. And we are already giving the, um, we already have our first layer of symbolism with the project by giving cardboard boxes a fresh start, because I'm also gonna be using the six by six squares because they, um, they just mail and they're so easy to work with. And I have, um, a mix of artists and just non artists in this group. So it's really fun. It's just people who've maybe had their lives upended by loss sickness, um, divorce, whatever. And they just feel like I want a fresh start. I feel like that's been one of the gifts of the pandemic too, is that, you know, there is no going back, there's only going forward. And so let's weed out the things in our lives that were pulling us down and not working for us and, and get, and have a fresh start. I love that's, that's the theme, that's the theme of the, this project. And I'm so excited about it because I'm doing, I'm taking all the lessons I learned with from the together, while apart project, I have a huge notebook of contacts and notes to myself, and I'm gonna take all that inspiration and, and knowledge and hopefully make this project even better. Um, I adding a mindfulness component and, um, we are gonna work on two collaborative points where each person writes two lines to the point, and then we mail it to the next person. Um, we'll also
Speaker 2:Do, I mean, you're like right up my alley
Speaker 3:And one of, one of the, has her PhD in writing. So she said she would tweak the, the two poem by the time they're finished, just to make sure they flow together. So if one verse needs to be switched with another, she would be happy to do that. Um, I'm gonna do snail mail buddies again, cuz that was a big hit mm-hmm<affirmative> and I've then I've got some surprises that I'm going to, um, be sending the artists throughout. Um, the next few months I've given everybody till February 1st to get their pieces back. So it's really been it's so fun. That's
Speaker 2:Amazing. So, um, I, you, you mentioned like the, in the first project you had a music teacher, right? Who didn't know what, so he did it and then now you have non-artist what are you saying to people? Cause you know, uh, you've listened to Lisa and I chat before about a lot of people are very scared of art and I'm sure you've experienced that
Speaker 3:Exactly. Right. What
Speaker 2:Do you say to people who
Speaker 3:Are well I've I have, um, a little questionnaire. I asked people and one of the girls who really had some trepidation about the art when I asked her what her favorite aisle in the grocery store was, I'm just trying to a ask the Zan questions. She said the produce aisle because of all the beautiful colors of the produce. And I was like, boom you're somebody told you along the way, you're not creative. But if you notice the colors in the produce style, you are very creative and you know, we're all artists at heart and yes. Um, we, we all have that creative ability, whether it's with preparing dinner or arranging flowers or decorating your house or um, just the way you organize your bookshelf there, everybody has some streak of creativity. And so that's what I was trying to, um, encourage the non artist, um, to, to think about. And so that's why, I'm why I'm doing a lot of mindfulness prompts because I want them to look at their daily activities and their, um, ordinary life with a fresh set of eyes. And we're gonna do, um, um, exercises involving all of the senses so that they will notice things, um, in a new light and then take that wisdom or experience and channel it into their square. Um, and I told them, I said, anything you put on that square is amazing because it came from you and there's only one you and it's unique. So what if you just wanna write one word on there with some color that is fine, you know, it's just, it it's, it's what, what flows from your hands. So
Speaker 1:It's incredible. I love the prompt. I love that prompt of walking through the grocery store and seeing the beauty, like where, and it's almost like art. I mean, we know that art is beauty, but it's on the like, yes, you can find that beauty in your daily life. Just, I love it. I love your perspective.
Speaker 3:Exactly. Yeah. Uh, and I'm gonna have them notice the shadows, um, on a, on a sunny day and the trees, how they sway in the wind, I've got a whole list of fun prompts. I've been working on this project all summer. And my hope is that if they're sitting in traffic or they're finding their, they're getting all irritated with something, they fall back on these prompts and they're like, oh, okay, let me, let me look at this differently and go from there. Another question I asked them is if they had 30 minutes to spare, would they go to a farmer's market or retail boutique? And nearly everybody set a farmer's market because it's not only local, but there's just so many neat artisan crafts and food there. And they loved how, um, every vendor set up their booth differently. So these non creatives really are truly creative. They don't realize it, but I was pulling it out of them already.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. I, I love it. Um, I just wanna say thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. I look forward to hearing about the fresh start project. Oh,
Speaker 3:Good. Yeah. Well please let me come back when it's done and I can give you an update. That would be great. Thank you all so much.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah. I wanna end. I, I would love to, um, know what one word, what does art mean to you in one word?
Speaker 3:Happiness,
Speaker 1:Joy, happiness. I love it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I love it. Well, thank you so much.
Speaker 3:Thank you all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been great time with you.
Speaker 3:Okay. Take care. Bye bye.