Word of the Week - 18

 

 

Artist Juan Romero.

Word of the Week: CURATOR

Claiming the title curator feels scratchy and not-quite-appropriate.  Yet I could arrive at no other word to describe what I feel is my reason for staying with Facebook.  I believe, I know, that we mostly live adaptively.  We are in an on-going state of adjusting, which means we sift through layers of played-out soil to find what works for us.  Of necessity, we have become people who "make do." 

It is not the second-best choice the phrase implies.  In its quiet voice it hints at ways of amplification, of making what is small grow larger and more visible.  It is not settling for nor putting up with.  With the model of generous and innovative creatives before me, I was steered away from any raging and controversy and much of what I hear about as drawbacks of social media and shown it could be a medium for sharing visually the things of my dreams, my longings, my inspiration.

Balenciaga gown from 1961.

It may be the height of cheekiness to think that what delights me will delight another.  One can but try.  I feel that I write almost constantly about the value of beauty, wonder and joy as antidotes to vitality-depleting aspects of daily existence but I know in my cells, in my skin that it is the truth.  Whether the images are creations of nature or man, they are sources of awe, of awakening.  A poem or a felted creature possesses equal power to elevate the spirit, the mind, to speak with honest, emphatic optimism to any of our sagging parts.  The sight of a yellow gown, clearly the work of faerie magic, says we have not grown too old or too sad, that impossible things have always happened and they always will.

Sawdust stuffed elephant.

Giving credit where it is due: Beginning with Alice Vegrova and the art she shared by European illustrators whose work I would never have found, I began to watch for posts from Madame Susha, Skattie Cat, Elsa Mora, Folt Bolt and Musetouch Visual Arts Magazine.  Each of these is indeed a curator, sharing, I assume, what occupies the greatest real estate in their hearts.  Those who are artists themselves could not be more open about promoting artists they admire.  I continue to find posts from them all which I share.  Where once a 4x5 notepad or the ever-popular back of an envelope was nearly sufficient to record information I wanted to retain,  I now use a yellow legal pad to keep track of the names, links, resources and such, hoping I will be able to find my way back to them when needed.  And in talking of sources, I can't neglect Pinterest, which I fear at times sucks away all my hours and the will to do anything more than stare.  If you think serendipity is a myth, hang around Pinterest for a bit.  Sooner or later, your heart's desire - with an accurate link if you're very lucky - will appear.