these old shoes have seen a lot of miles and a lot of smiles
like slipping my feet into butter
but might be time to let them melt softly into the sunset.
—
“an old shoe lover loves old shoes.”
-theodore sturgeon
dirty damsels – 2022 mud run
(i’m the muddy one in the pink, or the 2nd from left if easier)
we ran, climbed, crawled, carried weight, went over, went under, stayed the course, used ropes, tripped,
slipped, offered hands, got stuck in mud, slid underwater, crab walked, balanced, fell down, finished as a team
all with my daughter, granddaughter, and group of friends
not afraid of the mud
certainly challenging, but so fun.
“we sit in the mud… and reach for the stars”
-ivan turgenev
i recently went with a group of colleagues/friends
to find the artist, dabls
working on his block in detroit
where we learned so much from him
an experience i’ll never forget
dabls’ installation-‘iron teaching rocks how to rust’
artist/storyteller dabls
uses materials as metaphors
to pass on his stories
of african and european art/cultures
open to everyone
he can be found working and sharing stories
on this abandoned block
that he has reclaimed
as his own and the community’s
most every day
dalbas mbad african bead museum
where each of his beads tells a story
dabls’ art has brought this house to life
—
“Stories are able to help us to become more whole, to become Named.
And Naming is one of the impulses behind all art;
to give a name to the cosmos, we see despite all the chaos.”
-Madeleine L’Engle
—
The Kresge Foundation elected Dabls as “2022 Eminent Artist”
to recognize his accomplishments in the arts as well as his lifelong impact on Detroit’s culture.
—
to read his full story go to:
http://www.mbad.org/best-friends
or just stop by to see him.