The Emancipation of Artemis | Official Website

i still have to add a page for the speakers; i’m waiting on their bios, and i have to add one more artist to the ‘contributing artists’ section (hi, mariah!), and one more band to the ‘performers’ section but i wanted to announce this tonight.

i’ve been working on this since 8:00 a.m.  it is now 6:31 p.m.

this is also the first time anyone has seen the eight portraits that will comprise the ‘Faces of Survival’ exhibit.  at first i thought i wanted 10, 12 maybe even 15 women.  but, then, as i got more into it, i realized i wanted the number to be smaller.  each woman’s story has impacted me so deeply that to have a larger number of participants would have been too overwhelming and would have spread the focus too thinly, if that makes sense.

in editing these stories, reading them repeatedly, having them printed, typing them on the website…i never became immune to their words.  i was never desensitized to their struggle.

nothing about this enormous undertaking has been easy.

but it has been one of the most satisfying, fulfilling things i have ever done.

i could never begin to say ‘thank you’ enough to those of you who have helped me with this – thank you for your art, your time, your donations, your words, your stories, your emails, your love, your support, your encouragement.  for everything.  for all of it.  ‘thank you’ will never do justice for the gratitude i have for you.

so, go visit.  listen to the music.  explore every avenue of the site.  there is much to see, feel and hear.  allow yourself to be moved the way i have these past several months as i have stitched this together one tiny bit at a time.

the quilt is almost complete.

and it is beautiful.

because of you.