05 | Friends of Pollination

Fiber Installation   |  Wendy Shaft   |  Williamston, MI

The Nature of Public Art
This original artwork was vandalized shortly after its initial installation during the opening days of ArtPath. In an act of positive resistance, the artist has reconstructed her original intent, shared how it felt to discover the vandalism and invited the community to help create 50 new panels that adorn the boardwalk.  This event can be viewed in an Artist Talk video, coming soon.

About This Installation

I am a printmaker who not only loves paper but also loves textiles. This project allows me to marry hand dyed fabric with linoleum block printing.

Dying fabric was a result of being too picky about color. I continued to add pattern through varied mediums: screen printing, discharging, hand dye painting and especially block printing. Additionally, I was not a dyer of “all one color” yardage. I started experimenting with mixing colors by painting, squirting liquid dye or sprinkling dye in the powered form.

Printing on textiles with linoleum blocks was an extension of working with paper. I have cut hundreds of linoleum blocks over the years at a small scale. I am ready to enlarge my blocks and apply them to vibrant backgrounds.

My vision is to create images that remind us of our fragile ecosystem of which pollination is a part. I hope my colorful, hand dyed fabrics paired with the graphic linoleum block images will bring joy along the ArtPath 2021.

Artist Bio

Originally from Michigan, I went to Alaska to work on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Discovering I was more interested in art than geology, I went back to school, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) with an emphasis on book arts. I am still a printmaker. I print on paper and textiles. My husband, Don and I relocated back to Michigan in 2005. In 2013, I retired the letterpress printed card line published by Limner Press.

Find On The Trail - Site 05

Oakland Street Boardwalk

This expansive wooden bridge runs under Oakland Ave connecting the trail for pedestrians and cyclists. The architecture of this structure includes large beams that hold lighting. This is a vibrant and busy space as it connects historic Old Town Lansing to Downtown Lansing.

This location is made possible in part by generous contributions from:
Board of Water & Light

ArtPath is generously supported by our title sponsors The Rathbun Insurance and Auto-Owners Insurance. With additional support by:

artpath21-sponsors-rathbun-100
artpath21-sponsors-auto-owners-100
artpath21-sponsors-lansing-art-gallery-100
cityoflansing_parksandrecs.jpg
artpath21-sponsors-jay-pelc-100
artpath21-sponsors-arts-council-100
Michigan Arts and Culture Council Logo
artpath21-sponsors-nea-100
teamlansingfoundation.png
Michigan Economic Development Corporation & Patronicity