Tree of Illuminations
Tree of Illuminations is a public participatory artwork completed at Sandy Spring Museum in Maryland August 2020.This project involved audience participation on a number of levels, which is a metaphor for the power of people individually and collectively to make a difference and affect change. It is a project that brings together a number of pressing themes: social connection, environmental awareness/ action, and affirmation/ acknowledgement of our diverse society. I solicited donations of used glass jars from over 120 participants. Each participant was asked to submit a word/phrase that meant "Illumination" to them. The repurposed jars were cleaned, colored rice paper was adhered to the inside of each jar, and the Illumination word was written on the outside of the jar. The words were written in a color scheme symbolizing 5 racial constructs: black, white, red, yellow and brown. The lids were painted in 8 different skin/earth tones to represent diversity. The jars were colored in a gradient flame orange to yellow/green. The jars were carefully wired to the host cherry tree illuminated by the sunlight, becoming seeds of light that symbolize our connection to the earth and one another.
