Announcements
The Book of Awe Project:
Book launch and solo exhibition
The Book of Awe: Wandering and Rewilding
by Kathleen Sweeney
“Awe is a song we hear, remembering that birds taught human beings how to sing.”
Photographic artist’s book launch and multimedia exhibition
Opening: Saturday August 3, 2024, 5-7pm.
Exhibition: August 3-September 8, 2024
Reading by the author/artist at 5.30pm on August 3rd.
Signed copies of The Book of Awe will be available.
72 Main St, Andes, NY
Bookshop and gallery hours:
10am to 5pm, Thursday to Sunday, or by appointment.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On Saturday August 3rd, 2024, from 5 to 7pm, Diamond Hollow Books and Gallery in Andes, NY will host a book launch and opening celebration for a multimedia exhibition of The Book of Awe Project, a multi-year research and creative endeavor by ecoartivist Kathleen Sweeney.
The opening celebration includes the launch of The Book of Awe: Wandering and Rewilding, a photographic artist’s book featuring stunning naturescapes from Iceland, Ireland, New York City and the Catskills. This 40-page book of original photography and poetic wander lore documents the author’s open awareness and enchantment journeys toward ‘rewilding.’ These unplugged forays into woodlands, river crossings, moon bathing, tundra hikes and urban hawk sightings provide a distilled form of creative resilience, much needed in this era of Eco-Anxiety, global upheaval, and climate change.
In addition to the artist’s book, a solo exhibition of nature-based photography, plant pigment monoprints, watercolors, birch bark weavings and mixed media collages will be on view at Diamond Hollow from Saturday, August 3 until Sunday, September 8th, 2024. Diamond Hollow Bookshop and Gallery hours are 12-5pm, Thursday through Sunday or by appointment.
Kathleen Sweeney is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, environmentalist, and educator who relocated to the woods of Roxbury, NY in 2021. An Assistant Professor of Media Studies at The New School/Parsons, she has published articles at Afterimage, IndieWire and in digital and print literary magazines. Multimedia exhibitions include South by Southwest, Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie, LA Center for Digital Art, Atlanta Film Festival; with residencies at Cill Rialaig Art Center, Ireland; Mind and Life Institute Europe; and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her digital projects have been funded by the NEA, NYSCA and Ford Foundation. Recent Catskills exhibitions include Bushel Collective, 1053 Gallery, ArtUp!, Longyear Gallery and the AMR Studio Tour.
On October 5, 2024, her first group curatorial exhibition, The Symbiocene Era: Artists Envision Environmental Symbiosis will open at Bushel Collective in Delhi, NY (October 5-November 3, 2024) featuring twelve Catskills watershed Eco-Artists.
Kathleen will be hosting The Book of Awe Saturday Workshop Series exploring creativity and digital detox at her woodland studio in Roxbury August 17, 31, and September 14th, 9am-noon. This offering is sponsored by AMR Artists with funding assistance from the O'Connor Foundation.
The Book of Awe launch and exhibition project is made possible with funds from the Delaware County Arts Grants, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group.
PRESS INQUIRIES CONTACT:
Miles Bellamy 347-262-4187
Kathleen Sweeney 914-714-0404
The Book of Awe Workshop Series
The Book of Awe Project: Awe, Wonder and Creativity Workshop Series
Led by Kathleen Sweeney, Interdisciplinary Artist, Environmentalist and Educator
Saturdays, 9am-noon, August 17, 31 and September 14th
Three Saturday morning workshops combining guided meditation and open attention flow states through
creative explorations of seeing and sensing wonder in the natural world. Held at the artist’s woodland studio in Roxbury, NY.
Workshop One: Awe Walks and Creative Writing
Saturday August 17, 2024, 9am-noon [REGISTER]
Forest bathing, sensory awareness, and creative writing. Open attentiveness to sounds, scents and light, experiences translate to poetic observation on the page. Guided meditation and writing prompts following a group experience of ‘wonder walking’ in the woods. Writing journals provided.
Workshop Two: Wonder Collections in Photography, Video and Audio.
Saturday, August 31st, 2024, 9am-noon [REGISTER]
Guided meditation followed by a silent group photographic exploration of light, shadow, and close-up observation in nature. Open attention techniques are followed by mindfully ‘foraging’ for photos, 10-second video and audio clips. Editing techniques using the phone as creative tool will also be explored.
Workshop Three: Enchantment and Mixed Media Bookmaking
Saturday, September 14th, 2024, 9am-noon [REGISTER]
A demonstration of one-of-a-kind bookmaking using bark, wildflower pigments is followed by group forest foraging expedition for natural materials to create unique, handsewn accordion collage books. Bookmaking materials provided.
Pre-registration is required. Address provided with registration. [REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON]
Email kathleen@wordcitystudio.com to reserve a spot
$25 per workshop ($70 for the series).
Beverages, snacks and art materials included. Bring a water bottle.
Sponsored by AMR Artists, Inc. Funded in part by the O’Connor Foundation
