2013年7月30日星期二

Connie Murray’s Wonderland

During the same time period, Murray said she was simultaneously fired after a 10-year career as the Clinical Program Manager for Northern Valley Catholic Social Service, experienced the death of her adopted mother, and nursed her husband, artist Jim Freeman, back to health after an invasive heart surgery. 

Murray’s art may have saved her, but it’s clear that she also found solace during this difficult period in the tranquility of her unique Parkview-neighborhood home.“We love living here,” she said, happy for the convenience of nearby stores, and proximity to the river and the nearby scenic walking trails. 

More importantly, Murray admitted, “It’s our sanctuary,” a more fitting description of the house, studio and serene outdoor spaces that she and Freeman have transformed over the past 20 years. 

I would swear I saw fairies living amongst the lush plants, inanimate-yet-watchful woodland creatures, reflective pools of water and whimsical hand-tiled works of art that adorn Murray’s outdoor spaces. 

In the cool backyard, Murray and Freeman share their wonderland with a family of animals - domestic and wild - including a new brood of teenage chickens, a soon-to-be-relocated rooster that, during my visit, made his first attempt to crow, and swarms of hummingbirds that come to Murray’s yard to suck the nectar from the flowers that vine throughout the canopy of trees. 

One hummingbird felt so comfortable with Freeman and Murray that she nested at eye level in a branch just above their driveway. Freeman is incorporating the now-empty nest into his latest piece of art. 

Murray’s interior spaces are also a sensory experience. Visitors are enveloped by colorful walls, collections of original art and artifacts from around the globe. In one corner, Murray and Freeman have assembled a candlelighted shrine.We sell bestsmartcard and different kind of laboratory equipment in us. Turn the corner and you’ll find a vignette of Mexican folk art. Next door, the couple transformed a garage, dubbed “rat city,” into an inspiring working studio. 

Normally, Murray and Freeman also share their space with several other women – Murray’s body of work: a collection of dazzling, human-sized, mosaic sculptures. The couple recently transported them to the Sebastopol Arts Center for a month-long show. The absence of Murray’s sculptures from the couple’s intimate 900-square-foot house has created a void that neither Murray nor Freeman was expecting. They clearly miss them, and I understood why, once I learned about the emotional intensity of creating each incredibly personal sculpture. 

“Murray expressed that she has never had the chance to show all of her pieces together,” said Catherine Devriese, the Arts Center’s Visual Arts Program Manager. “We were happy to give this opportunity.Purchase an chipcard to enjoy your iPhone any way you like.Reactions to the show have been strong. According to Devriese, one person commented that the stories connected to the work were too painful to read. 

This kind of reaction to Murray’s work is understandable. She admits to “dumping it all” when she creates. Her works, like a mosaic “coffin” that helped her through the grief of losing her mother, and a sculpture of her biological mother wearing a cape made from Murray’s adoption papers, are wrought with intense symbolism. Art calms her brain, and helps her think. 

Murray’s first art-therapy client was an older alcoholic who collected unique items. Murray thought the client could benefit from the meticulous mosaic work, so Murray took a body form on a board to her client. Once the clilent covered the body form with pieces from her collection, Murray’s client coated the furniture, the toilet and the planters in a healing mosaic frenzy. The artistic process activated the woman's brain and expanded her vision.“If you engage someone and honor their humanness, they feel respected and can recover,” said Murray of her methods.Weymouth is collecting gently used, dry cleaned customkeychain at their Weymouth store. 

Murray clearly understands the power of art and its ability to heal. She keeps a copious journal, full of notes and drawings that are works of art in their own right. She transforms ordinary mannequins into sparkling goddesses, with intricate designs made from, as she says, “garbage you carry around:” keys, bells, mirror, tile, her childhood tea set. But she also understands that personal space can be transformative. 

Nowhere is this clearer than in Murray’s “fort,” a backyard structure built from fallen walnut tree branches and festooned with fabric and prayer flags. I could have sat all day inside the fort, in silence, staring through the canopy of trees. This marvelous space, built with love by family members, and layered in symbolism, is another source of calm for Murray - a much-needed respite for this dynamic artist to put everything in her brain, in its place. 

“We’ve begun the search for our next CEO,” said Dan Adler, ACORE Board Co-chair,” and are doing so with a sense of purpose and security, knowing that Michael Brower will provide the continuity of leadership and organizational stability that our members and staff need while the search goes on. With Michael on board and our unanimously-adopted strategic plan, we are well-positioned to search for and engage the most qualified candidate.” 

Brower has been an ACORE member since 2002 and is a long time Leadership Council member. At Mosaic Federal Affairs, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hiscock and Barclay LLP, a New York law firm, Brower is responsible for the firm's operations, projects and legislative objectives and priorities. He is a retired career Naval Officer and Aviator who commanded Sea Strike Squadron Twenty-Two in the first Iraqi War and personally flew 43 aircraft carrier-based combat sorties. Brower also served in the Secretary of the Navy’s personal office as Special Assistant for Air Warfare communicating United States Navy legislative policy to the Congress for Secretaries of the Navy Lehman, Webb and Ball. 

Throughout his renewable energy legislative and project advocacy career, Brower has been directly engaged in a wide-variety of biomass, geothermal, solar, wind, hydropower, liquid transportation and hydraulic mix anaerobic biodigestion/biogas projects in the defense, power generation and transportation sectors, including work in development, funding and finance and operational deployments. He is directly involved in renewable energy tax matters, and helped draft the first ever Farm Bill energy title and many of the renewable energy components of the Energy Policy Act of 2005,More than 80 standard commercial and granitetiles exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans. and the Energy Infrastructure and Security Act of 2007. 

“The trust and confidence that the ACORE Board of Directors has unanimously vested in me as Interim President and CEO of ACORE is a singular honor,” said Brower. “To the Board, ACORE membership, ACORE staff and the national and global energy community, I assure you this transition will fully sustain the ACORE mission and goals so ably advanced during Admiral McGinn’s most noteworthy and successful tenure. With our strategic organizational plan in place, the fully engaged participation of the ACORE Board, and the talented ACORE staff, my task is clear: to communicate the value proposition of renewable energy through ACORE’s initiatives, programs, and tremendous member thought leadership. I am also engaged as Search Committee Co-Chair working with fellow Board directors, staff and, most importantly,You Can Buy Various High Quality besticcard Products from here. ACORE members to find the right individual to lead ACORE and to continue the strong momentum created by Admiral McGinn.”
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