Beginner’s Mind is a large-scale, experiential art installation I created that was exhibited at the Safety Harbor Art and Music Center (SHAMc) From January 7-January 28, 2023 (made possible by grants from the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, the Gobioff Foundation, and Creative Pinellas). You can read more about the genesis and thoughts behind Beginner’s Mind (here) in a blog post I shared in December 2022, leading up to the opening.
This installation is the biggest and probably most personally and creatively meaningful project I have done. It is also the project I’ve had the least time to reflect on or continue with because of other shows and obligations. I’m definitely not complaining, but I am looking forward to some time in the near future where I can assess everything I have produced this year and clear space for new ideas to germinate, using all the information I’ve accumulated.
The process of getting this installation up was a whirlwind of essentially living in the space for the week leading up to the opening. It took me that entire time to improvisationally hang all of the elements I had spent several months creating (in the backyard of my friend and fellow artist, Jan Richardson), and then work with the video and sound components. Heather Richardson and the SHAMc team were a dream to work with. They made me feel incredibly supported and gave me pretty much total creative freedom to do I wanted in the space. It was the ideal way I would want to work on any project of that nature.
That’s not to say there weren’t various challenges, including the whole thing having to come down early without notice due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control and before I was able to get the documentation I wanted. Nonetheless, the overall experience was incredible and the installation was well-received by the public.
For my first attempt at something of this scale, using technology and materials I had little prior experience with, I feel like Beginner’s Mind was a successful first draft of a new way of working. One I look forward to continuing. Keep scrolling for a series of videos and images I captured from the event and install.
