20/20
For the 8th Annual Alchemical Vessel Exhibition, Silver Linings, at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery in Washington, DC in 2021, each participant was given a 12-inch wood bowl as the base of their design. I burned the bowl to signify the ordeals of 2020. These ordeals made us think deeply about our relationships, symbolized by two vessels made of clay, a medium that reminds us of our shared origins. I included the wood ash in a firing method that leaves distinctive marks, verifying the transformation that occurred. The title, 20/20, refers to this extraordinary year and to the clarity of vision we acquired through it.
The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery is part of the Smith Center for Healing & the Arts, which serves individuals affected by cancer by utilizing art as a tool for healing. Hundreds of local artists over the past eight years of Alchemical Vessels have helped to forge this community by creating and donating unique works of art for the annual exhibition.