Gratitude

WE ARE FUNDED! AND INSTALLED! Oh Wow! Thank you all so very very much. This has been an experience I will never forget from the very beginning to the very end. And it never ends.....The work will keep on going, thanks to you, my community, my supporters, my light. 

AND more good news! From the successful fundraising and response, USA Projects is keeping the donations coming in to help cover the cost of building The Lighthouse through to June 6.

May the impenetrable walls come down so the light that shines from within is visible for all!

The Convergence show that The Lighthouse is a part of is going on through to November, please come to Boston Christian Science Plaza and see the beautiful public sculptures of Boston SculptorsGallery

Visit www.nancymilliken.com to see more images of installation and statement.

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Boston

We are at 63% for the funds raised to erect The Lighthouse! Many, many thanks to our supporters. Thescaffolding and wool travel to Boston this week where it will get installed. We hope that The Lighthouse will bring joy and light to the people of Boston and their visitors.

Two Weeks to Go

With two weeks to go the studio is busy! Trips to Marr Scaffolding to talk about installation, meetings withIndustrial Sheet Metal to get the base measured just right, and of course more glorious weaving! Figuring out the plan for installation starts with packaging the wool.

This is a preview of one of the most important parts of The Lighthouse. The scaffolding, basically an erector set, provides the structure and skeleton for the wool to interact with the wind.

Article from Amherst Biennial

Here is a nice write up from Amherst Biennial

The March Studio

Three weeks away from installation and I thought you might like to see the studio.

Names of Sheep

One of my favorite parts of collecting wool during shearing season is feeling the warmth of the sheep still on the newly shorn wool. When I get back to the studio and empty out a bag, usually a note falls out with the name of the sheep written on the back of an envelope or an order from a feed delivery in the farmer's scrawled or flowery handwriting. Let me share with you some of the names of the sheep whose wool will be gracing The Lighthouse:

Aramata, Taraval, Hillerman, Iago, Erla, Charlie, Henry, Betty, Dosteovsky, Isis, Honeycut, Eliza, Pink, Buttercup.

I have not tallied the number of pounds of wool used so far, but my guess is over 150. My heartfelt thanks to the shearers, the farmers, and the sheep. Farming is a labor of love these days, and so is art.

news from the studio

We are in the last month of production of The Lighthouse and it is all hands on deck! We have over 100 feet of woven wool, which is only one component of the multi-layered sculpture. There is also felting, silk, over 60 feet of 3-inch thick rope, steel and determination.

The other exciting news is that we have raised almost $4000 in our fundraising efforts. With the help of family, old and now new friends, momentum is building and the goal feels within reach. My most heartfelt thanks for those who have helped by donating, spreading the news, and sending encouragement. 

Sarah Cormier and Gina Shvartsman manage the stairs! We needed to take the wool outside to measure and the freight elevator is on vacation this month. (Sarah is a Canadian theatre artist who has just begun a new phase of research at Double Edge Theatre through the support of the Ontario Arts Council.)

Over 100 feet! Just 20 more to go on this part.

A remarkable Intern

Meet Gina Shvartsman, a UMass student with intelligence and heart to spare. She is a wonderful addition to the studio when she comes to weave and felt and fill me in on what is happening in her Zen class.

Printing with Wool

Sometimes one just needs a break from weaving and felting! This is when I get to print and draw with wool, mimicking the many layers of the sculptures.

Untitled, ink on rag paper, 8x10 inches, 2013

Collecting Wool

Wow! What a wonderful first week of fundraising at USA Projects. For my artist friends I highly recommend this crowd-funding website if you are initiating a project you need to fundraise for. They are helpful, professional, tax deductable and 100% of the funds raised go towards the artist.

My USA Project page is here

I visited two Vermont sheep farms this week to collect wool and stories for this large installation, The Lighthouse. Below is a video of shearing at Vermont Shepherd

fundraising update

I am excited to announce that I have chosen a crowd-funding website to help me raise a portion of the funds for my outdoor public sculpture, The Lighthouse. USA Projects is a tax-deductable platform for artists to raise money for their projects. Here is where you will find information and a video about my upcoming sculpture in Boston;

http://www.usaprojects.org/project/the_lighthouse

At USA Projects, you can contribute a tax-deductable gift for this ambitious project and pass the information on to others that might be interested. This networking is an important part of your help, the more people that can help spread the word, the further the reach of my circle of friends who share a passion for the arts.

Detail of The Lighthouse model

I thank you for your interest in this important artistic endeavor!

February studio

Cobweb felt attached to steel structure by Carolyn Clayton and BMW Ironworks

Model

Playing with the model of scaffolding for The Lighthouse is helping to plan the material layers that are involved in this piece

Wool

Sarah Cormier weaving wonder on a wintery day

We have been going through my store of wool! The search for farms that have wool to spare is on. It is my dream to get farms involved in this project, list their names as contributers and show the public how many New England sheep farmers there are. Lisa Westervelt of Moon farm in Cummington MA runs the Massachusetts Fibershed and has gotten in touch to help with our wool needs.

The Massachusetts Fibershed is an affiliate to ‘Fibershed’ http://www.fibershed.com/ whose mission is to change the way we clothe ourselves by supporting the creation of local textile cultures that enhance ecological balance, and utilize regional agriculture while strengthening local economies and communities. The Massachusetts Fibershed is a newly formed community based group whose intentions are to support and promote fiber producers and fiber artists in the state of Massachusetts by helping link artists, farmers and designers together and also developing artisan and  educational programs.

Massachusetts Fibershed    

Respond to: fibershed@goodwool.com

Connecting fiber growers and fiber artists

www.goodwool.com/fibershedMA.html

New steel structures in the studio from Carolyn Clayton at BMW Ironworks

Studio Shots

Studio shots:

Ben Westbrook and Carolyn Clayton of BMW Ironworks working on the model of The Lighthouse

Sarah Cormier from Double Edge Theatre helps weave wool into a fishing net

The Village

Something interesting happens when you state your intention to bring contemporary public art to a large city landmark such as The Christian Science Plaza. The village gathers. And you gather the village.  During the ground work for collecting the vast amount of wool needed for The Lighthouse, I have met shearer Andy Rice and other New England sheep farm owners who are insightful and offer great advice. Friends such as, actress Christine Stevens offers video and voice over for a fundraising campaign, and educator and farmer Nicki Robb spends an afternoon weaving and contemplating the human/animal connection. Interns from colleges are coming in to work and the studio is filling with the smell of lanolin. Family members are helping with material choices, Marci Caplis helps with editing documents, and artist Chris Nelson bounces ideas to help me see clearer the vision for a sculpture that has taken on a life of its own. Architect Andrew St. John and Engineer George Sherwood help with structural elements; all of this under the guidance of a true mentor, artist Mac Dewart.

Artists are small entrepreneurs conducting on any given day the publicity, fundraising, ordering of materials, meeting with the suppliers, getting permissions, organizing and training help, meeting with architects and designing and creating the actual sculpture. The research and literature read at night to instill deeper ideas is a bonus and a favorite part of my job, but mostly it is the village that I love. Asking for help in my first monumental urban public art sculpture is the first step to actualize this dream.

Intern Gina Shvartsman and Nancy Winship Milliken weaving raw wool into a fishing net.

New Public Art Installation

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse, a new site-specific light and natural material installation will be on view from May to October 2013 in Boston's Christian Science Plaza as a part of the Boston Sculptors Gallery's group show, Convergence, co-sponsored by The First Church of Christ, Scientist. My 70-foot tall wool and sailcloth sculpture will enliven the vast concrete plaza with organic materials responsive to wind and be dramatically lit at night by internal lighting elements. More than two dozen public art installations from Boston Sculptors Gallery members will be on display at the Plaza to draw attention to contemporary visual art and promote its prominent place in the life of the city.

© The First Church of Christ, Scientist. Used with permission. (aerial view of installation site)

© The First Church of Christ, Scientist. Used with permission. (view of installation site near the reflecting pool)

This dynamic installation will employ scaffolding to surround an existing lightbox that depicts images of children. The scaffolding creates an industrial platform for me to weave 150 feet of raw wool collected from New England sheep farms. The flowing, airy and textural natural materials will provide a contrast to the surrounding static concrete and steel buildings. This mixture of urban and rural materials, The Lighthouse, is full of metaphor: protection, home, community, comfort.

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This contemporary installation is my gift to the city of Boston. No money will be made in the sale of the temporary installation, and for this, I will need to raise $10,000 to install and rent scaffolding for six months. Your contribution will, quite literally, provide the foundation of this monumental and dynamic sculpture. In collaboration with The Christian Science Plaza, we have acquired all the required city permits and permissions for the installation. It is all-systems-go right now in the studio; wool is being sheared and collected from local farms, college interns are helping weave and felt in the studio and the smell of lanolin is in the air! 

This image, by photographer Jeff Derose, shows the weaving method of raw wool that will be used for The Lighthouse.

To follow the development of the process of making The Lighthouse, please visit the studio blog at http://nancymilliken.com/news/ subscribe to get RSS feeds, or sign up for periodic email updates on the home page of http://nancymilliken.com.

I greatly appreciate your contribution.

Thank you,

Nancy

Ways to contribute:

Donations can be made on my website nancymilliken.com through PayPal  

Checks earmarked The Lighthouse can be made out to:

Nancy Winship Milliken Studio

Please mail to:

Nancy Winship Milliken Studio

21 Sumner Mountain Road

Amherst, MA 01002

For a tax deductable contribution, make your check payable to the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston. To ensure your money will go towards The Lighthouse Project, all checks should be earmarked: for CSPP/ Milliken (Christina Science Plaza Project/Milliken)

Please mail to:

Nancy Winship Milliken Studio

21 Sumner Mountain Road

Amherst, MA 01002