Pat Warner — Los Angeles, CA
River Resident, sculptor, December 2004
"It
was exciting being the first River Resident at A
Studio in the Woods. The residency enabled me to initiate
a new phase of my long-term study of water and how humanity
uses and abuses it. My indoor sculptural environments have
been concerned with water issues in areas where water is
scarce. Spending a month along the Mississippi gave me uninterrupted
time to think about water issues in an area where water
is abundant, and often an inundating force. Before arriving
at ASITW I read about past and present problems facing the
Mississippi River Delta and studied maps of the Delta. My
first actual observations of the river were from the air
when flying into New Orleans; I could see the meanders of
the river, natural and artificial cutoffs, control structures,
and I could even identify the old French 'arpent' method
of dividing land. After picking up my rental car at the
airport, crossing the river to the west bank and proceeding
down river toward ASITW, I could see the tops of ships only
a few hundred yards away. When I walked up onto the levee,
I was amazed to see how close I was going to be to the River
for a whole month. Most mornings I walked some distance
on the levee observing the contrast between the beautiful,
peaceful, quiet woods on one side, and the noisy, busy river
on the other. My quiet time spent at ASITW, research trips
around the delta, and meeting fishermen, writers and scientists,
provided me with ideas and images which I am sure will appear
in future work."
— Pat Warner, December 26,
2004
Pat Warner has traveled extensively throughout
the world observing the natural environment and indigenous
cultures. She has participated in exhibitions, residencies
and symposia in the U.S., Korea, and Lithuania. She is currently
designing the art for a transit stop as a Station Artist
for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. Her
work has been featured in World Sculpture News (Hong Kong),
Sculpture Magazine (Washington, D.C), and regional publications.
To see and read more about Warner and her work, visit her
website at: http://users.keyway.net/~patnjeff/PatWarnerSculpture.html
River Residencies
Humans have always depended on rivers for
fresh water as a necessity of life as well as for the
sustenance of plants and animals that are vital to human
existence. Rivers also have provided transportation, folklore,
recreation and culture for humans from earliest times
to the present. The Mississippi River holds a special
place in the culture of people and history. Like the Nile,
the Mississippi harbors the stories of many people from
diverse countries, yet continues to be the literal lifeblood
of a nation. The River is a pulsating entity whose rhythm,
power and stories inform a region. This magnificent body
of water has inspired authors, musicians, artists, historians,
and playwrights for over a century. Today, however, the
Mississippi River, like many others, is in need, challenged
by pollution and containment. We honor this endangered
treasure and its inhabitants through the establishment
of a program of River Residencies. River Residencies provide
sustained quality work time in contact with the Mississippi;
time in which one can experience and study the river using
it as a catalyst to create art that contributes to our
awareness of the river, its needs and its gifts to all
life. Funded by the Louisiana Division of the Arts
and the Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research
with a grant from the Aron Foundation Charitable Trust.
