ArtPrize September 21 – October 9, 2011 in Grand Rapids, MI
Francie Hester and I will be collaborating on a new installation WORDS AS LEGACY for ArtPrize 2011.
WORDS AS LEGACY–Turning Loss into Memory, Memory into Dialogue honors the lives of Diane Granat Yalowitz and Brendan Ogg. Both were gifted writers. Both lost their lives to brain cancer. And both lived in the same community of friends.
Diane was an award-winning journalist who died at 49. She wrote about issues such as equality, charities and social justice. Brendan was diagnosed with cancer during his sophomore year at the University of Michigan. Drawing on his love for writing, he turned to poetry and a book of his work was published just before his death at the age of 20.
The installation encompasses two collaborations, Articulation and A Leaf of Knowledge, which evolved naturally as our community felt the pain of loss and the need to heal. Taking Diane’s words and wrapping them around paper clips for a year allowed us to reshape meaning and memories. Brendan’s raw autobiographical poetry provided a vehicle to reflect on life’s ordinary and extraordinary moments, word-by-word.
With so many ties to the Michigan community we feel this is a perfect venue to honor these extraordinary people. For more information about Diane and Brendan visit Words As Legacy.