Project Reclamation: Maria Vasquez Boyd

The Leedy Voulkos Gallery in Kansas City emailed me information about Project Reclamation, an art auction/exhibition to benefit the art community in Joplin. I read through the details and quickly made a decision to participate. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by a need to do something, you know make a difference. It’s better to be part of the solution, right? I couldn’t just stand around saying, “Wow, that’s tough.”

Alone in the gallery I heard the quiet whispers of salvaged items now estranged from their owners. I gazed at the collection of twisted metal mailboxes, fan blades, pipes, gears, paper, gloves, even a torso of a plastic Jesus with outstretched hands, and many other things. They delivered a powerful history of their former lives. But I can only offer transformation out of the chaos to these things. I carefully sorted through items that define who you are in life and collected picture frames, dolls, hummingbird feeder, a shoe, stuffed monkey, and other things unrecognizable to me. My plan is to create a frame with salvaged items completely covered in white paint with text that declares, “I AM HERE.” I decided it would be more provocative in Spanish, so it became “ ESTOY AQUI” adding “SIEMPRE” translated as “always.” With the addition of that last word painted with glow in the dark paint, it shimmers in the dark like a ghost, SIEMPRE.

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