Beverly Naidus and the Beall

I recently had the pleasure of traveling by bicycle and ferry to see Beverly Naidus, shown here, eco-artist, professor, and author of several books including Arts for Change: Teaching Outside the Frame, at her home on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound near Seattle.

Beverly has begun a new, multi-faceted work called "Eden Reframed: An Eco-art Project for the Beall Greenhouses" in partnership with local non-profit SEEDS and other community members.

After a refreshing salad of greens I picked from her garden, graced with a handful of raspberries and toasted filberts, in other words, nirvana, Beverly took me on a tour of the Beall property, which held commercial greenhouses for many generations, as this 11-image slideshow reveals. The precise site for the project is featured in several slides -- watch for a pile of rubbish in the brush.

The soil at the Beall is contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic and lead, most of which arrived by way of a formerly functioning Asarco smelter. There is also pesticide and petroleum contamination, making remediation additionally challenging.

Artists have gravitated to the Beall for many years, yet this project is unique. Combining sculpture, ritual, video, oral history, permaculture and more, collaborators will work together to heal this land and reclaim it within the community. Utterly inspiring, thank you, Beverly!

Please visit Beverly's Eden Reframed: An Ecoart Project blog for more photos and updates.

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New Beauty of Water Website

I am delighted to announce the newly redesigned Beauty of Water website, integrating more photos, sharing more information about our projects, and making it easier to connect with our work.

We loved the old site, but simply outgrew it.

Please drop a line to send your thoughts on what you like and what could make this new website even better. Thanks!

BEAUTY OF WATER WEBSITE

Scriber Lake High School Mini-Course

tranquility / splashy / opaque / beauty / refractive / wet / glowing / soaking / marveling / drenched / promiscuous / strange / pure / pristine / abrasive / bottomless / transparent / wonderful / polluted / creative / loud / majestic / devious / developing / abused / living / powerful / taken for granted / luminous / beautiful / interesting / priceless / refreshing / spiritual / quiet / persistent / sensational / temperamental / graceful / noisy / indifferent / immortal / wild / an influence / moral / lamella / water / art / reflection / vigorous / shiny / ever-lasting / repetitive / relaxing / calming / smooth / awesome / clear / flowing / chaos / fluxuating / questioning / peaceful

These words graced the Beauty of Water Mini-Course at Scriber Lake (Alternative) High School, as they were provided by twenty participating 9th through 11th graders when asked to describe water from an artist's perspective. The workshop, which ran from April 19-23, drew inspiration from the learning series we offered through the Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts in Kerala in 2008, curriculum available.

Teacher Mike Carey and I facilitated classroom time combined with visits to the lovely Marina Beach Park on the Puget Sound in downtown Edmonds, Washington. On Friday we were joined by the wonderful Leon, volunteer shown in the top image above. This 17-image slideshow provides a glimpse of our experiences.

Students produced slideshows using their own photos, sculptures, poetry, hand-held collections, and spontaneous practices including skipping stones, which became the launching point for digital videos.

We asked students, "If the water at the beach we visited this week could talk, what would it say to you?" Here are some of the responses:

• It would tell me 'jump in!'
• I appreciate your art sculpture you made for me, it was delicious.
• I'm glad that people appreciate me, I wish more people could see the beauty in me and treat me respectfully.
• Whaddup?
• Thank you for visiting me today and studying my nature.

My favorite feedback? "Great!" "Fabulous!" and "Perfect!" It was!

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Resurfacing

Beauty of Water is alive and well. Waves of activity swirl and dissipate, while under the surface churning continues.

I am reminded of the first phase of our work in India, during which new connections formed like a neural network, and every day was exciting in the project's new location.

I notice the same tentative yet grounded exploration here in Edmonds, Washington, a quiet hum of happenings and connections that can help take the project forward. While I'm not new to the USA, Beauty of Water is taking its first tangible steps on this continent.

I recently gave a presentation to the good people at the Edmonds Daybreakers Rotary. I'm also working with a colleague at Scriber Lake High School to apply for a grant... more when there's more to tell.

One finds abundant inspiration for celebrating water. In this photo I am privileged to be drinking directly from the source. Gratitude to all who rallied to rescue Mt. Shasta Headwaters, one of so many bodies of water we can appreciate with all of our hearts... and creativity.

Shshshsh, I'll tell you a secret. A new Beauty of Water website is coming soon!

BEAUTY OF WATER WEBSITE

At Home in the Puget Sound Region

There have been many changes in my life in the past few months. I now live in the Seattle area, USA, with my father and husband, within bike or bus distance of my sisters, their lovely families, and our visiting Swiss friends. Wow! I lived in ths area after college, and in 2007 while launching Beauty of Water, so this is one of my homes.

It's been a joy to be here, but I deeply miss India and the people and places that were home to me there. I take heart in my plan to return for Waterwalk with Latha Kurien Rajeev and others in 2010.

Shortly after arriving to Washington, I had an experience that helped me feel I'm in the right place. I went to the Edmonds Art Walk and had the honor of meeting Carol Schillios. Since July 31st, Carol has been living in a tarp TENT on the ROOF of her all-volunteer run store, Fabric of Life, and it gets COLD here! Do check out her remarkable story! Within minutes of meeting and talking together, Carol suggested that we exhibit at her store the collaborative painting done at the Beauty of Water painting camp in Thrissur. Yes! I'll report back on this in time.

Meanwhile, the first annual Blue Festival, "celebrating wild and healthy oceans," was worth a trip downtown. On a sunny, crisp, Seattle day, this volunteer, Joy Lynch, of the WSU Beach Watchers, spent her time leading water-inspired art projects. There were many good people at the ambitious and successful event, ready to inform, inspire, and induct volunteers who share the intention of keeping the Puget Sound safe and healthy for all. Well done.

BEAUTY OF WATER WEBSITE