3441 Cedar Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
phone/fax 612 722-2324
susan@susanhenseldesign.com
www.susanhenseldesign.com
THE GALLERY
CALL FOR ARTISTS
CLASSES
Susan Hensel Design
Artist's BooksArtist's Statement
Narrative Sculpture
Installations
Literary Sculpture
War Chest Series
Journals
Recent Vitae
Biography
News and Musings
Sue's Musings and News
March 2005
The Power of Story
All fall and winter, I have been thinking about the power of story. For years, I have noted the propensity for people to form stories for every experience they choose to remember, or any event they struggle to understand. I understand that in the therapeutic model, change your story, change your life. Lord knows I've done that with this move to Minneapolis.
But there was more I was thinking about. I am a reasonably fervent Democrat. I do believe in progressive values. SO I was thinking about the masterful power of the stories told by the Republicans. They told two parallel stories: one was about greed and fear(death and taxes; 9/11 and let me keep MY money). The other, perhaps more powerful, was a nostalgic story about a past that never was. It was a story evoking the "golden days" of the 1950's, of a simpler time when presumeably, life was less complicated and decisions were more clear.
Did the Democrats have a cohesive story? It seemed that mostly we spouted "the facts" as we saw them, believing that to be enough to convince any sensible person. The power of the narrative was ignored.
So, then I tried to remember when the left had a cohesive, powerful story; when the story had changed lives and politics. During the sixties we told a utopian story, of peace and love and justice. We seem to remember it mostly as Woodstock and Haight Ashbury. But it was much more than that and it changed the face of politics and ended a misguided war. We had inspiring, martyred leaders in Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy.
Perhaps we will find inspired leaders again. But in the meantime, we need to be thinking about HOW WE WOULD LIKE LIFE IN OUR COUNTRY TO BE and we need to tell our hopeful stories and work for peace and justice.
A READER'S ART 5
A Champagne Reception will be held, Friday, March 4, 5-9pm.
Coffee and leftovers Saturday afternoon, March 5, 1-4pm.
Yes, amazingly, it IS the fifth year for this Spring show. It has moved to Minneapolis with me. This year the focus is on books that break out of the mould somewhat. The subtitle for the show is: on the wall and out of the box. I called for artists books that might bend the idea of book or stretch the string of narrative. Bound, unbound, sculptural,singular or editioned. Where does your notion of bookness lie today?
I have commissioned a wall book from Seamus Leonard whose work backed up and unified the ALL THINGS ELECTORAL show. He has been working on an on-going series that is inspired by comics and political cartoons entitled the COSMIC STUFF UNIVERSE, painting directly on walls. This will be another chapter in the ongoing story. A movie of him at work can be found at the bottom of the Gallery page. Preview the show The Gallery link
WAR GAMES: a mother's perspective
WAR GAMES: a mother's perspective, a show by Kari Gunter Seymour, of Albany, Ohio, is packed up and awaiting the freight hauler. Groups scheduled viewings right up until the final possible moment. We heard from as far away as Vermont and Baltimore, with press coverage and encouragement. The show travels on. The Chess Game is part of UNREAL TOURNMANET at SceneMetroSpace, E.Lansing, MI. The full show will be at The Adleta Gallery, Athens, Ohio, March 4-20. It then moves on to The Thurman Street Studios, in Portland, OR in April. See Images and read the reviews.
"ASSEMBLING MEMORY" Multimedia in Service of Story
A one person show and talk at Mott Community COllege in Flint, MI. The show opens April 4, at Fine Arts Gallery,Visual Arts & Design Center, 1401 East Court St., Flint, MI. The Gallery hours 9:00 - 4:30 Monday - Friday. There is no opening reception, but I will be giving a talk 4:00 PM Tuesday, April 5, 2005, in Visual Arts & Design Center. The show is a survey of my artists books and smaller mutimedia narrative sculptures. The talk will focus on the use of text in visual storytelling
STORY DRIVEN to show at Bright Hill
I've been invited to show a comprehensive show of my artist's books at Bright Hill Literary Center, POB 193, Treadwell, NY in June. THE OPENING WILL BE SUNDAY, JUNE,12. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Elsewhere around Minneapolis
When I Survey the Wonderous Cross: crosses from artists close to home and far away
Seeking a Higher Ground Book Group to Start-up
Thursdays, March 31- end of April, 7-8:30pm, Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church,1620 East46th St. , Minneapolis. 612-721-4463 All are welcome.
A few weeks ago I received an email from a friend, wondering if I knew anything about the book God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get it, by Jim Wallis. I went to the website and was intrigued. I got the book and started reading. Actually, I called around town and the book was sold out. So, we ordered the book and I started reading. There is an important message in the book. We must change the political conversation in this country and find ways to bring our concerns to the table so we can talk civilly about issues that have been divisive. I will warn you, it IS very preachy, but do not mistake it for hardball evangelism. Rev. Wallis' evagelism is toward a civil morality (as distinguished from private morality and denomination based morality) that encompasses all faiths or lack thereof, and that embraces all our citizens, most especially the less able among us. This book has been on the best sellers list for weeks. I have already begun to see a language change...letters to the editor are paraphrasing this book's message.
As a proponent of the power of story, I am enthusiastic about the potential conversations that this book will elicit.
Jan 05 article
November 04 article
July 04 article
March 04 article
May 03 article
March 03 article
Feb 03 article