Thursday, April 7, 2011

Point of Encounter

I have been invited to be in an "Artist in Residency" program in Austin's Partnership with Israel Western Galilee region and participate in an Arts Festival called "Arts on the Fence." Photography, paintings, and mixed-media work will be assembled on a fence as one aspect of the visit.

This Residency program holds the potential to be a unique and powerful experience. Its focus is about connecting me to people in the Western Galilee through my creativity. I’ll be able to experience the region with all its artistic treasures while building relationships with Austin’s partnership region.

I haven’t been to Israel since 1992—and a lot has changed in those 19 years. The theme for the arts festival is “Point of Encounter." There’s something about that
phrase-- to meet unexpectedly, with perhaps a bit of serendipity. My work now is to
identify what that means to me, and how to portray this through my mind’s eye. In any
case, for the first time I’ll be content with the status of "being on the fence."

I hope you’ll follow my journey via Facebook Twitter (@shalomaustin @gr8wendini) and this blog.