The artists, Carolyn Abbott, Millie Engisch, Bonnie Fercho, Haddie Hadachek, Lisa Jordan, Lonnie Knutson and Ruthanne Weaver, began their project with junk. Haddie explained, “I had access to a farm with tons of things to be scavenged, so I invited these gals to come scavenging with me.” What they found that fall day became the inspiration and the material for the widely diverse and thought-provoking art exhibit at The Crossing Arts Gallery. One of Haddie’s pieces was a nearly life-size crowned kachina with a toaster as a head. “It was fun,” she said about putting character into the piece. The crown indicates she’s a mature woman. The body is some kind of large tube. She doesn’t have a waistline, and I don’t either. She is holding an old antler in one hand and the toaster’s cord in the other. You have to wonder what the old gal’s going to do with that cord!” Millie enjoyed the scavenging as much as creating the art. “I loved hanging out at the farm with these other artists. Haddie, Lonnie and I collaborated on a sculpture that is almost nonsensical. No one can appreciate it the way we do because of the laughter and fun that went into it.” One of Carolyn’s pieces was Medusa’s head ringed with snaky hair. “When we were scavenging, I found some black tubing that made me think of Medusa’s hair,” she said. “I asked Millie to come over and make a plaster mask of my face. I did research on Medusa and found she can be good or bad, so I painted her face with both yin and yang.” Another piece came from her childhood. “When I was young, I asked for an erector set, but I was told that was a toy for boys. I used an old erector set to build a canopied bed. Didn’t every girl want one?” she asked. The bed includes a pink canopy and a doll as a nod to the traditional girl toys. Lisa used felted wool to create a sculpture of a forest floor. “This is a very personal piece I call “How I Pray.” It’s a much more revealing
Artists (left to right) Haddie Hadachek, Millie Engisch and Lonnie Knutson are “electrified” by this creation.
Carolyn Abbott with “Medusa,” her creation from plastic tubes. Spring 2016 | her voice 25