WoffleHouse

Maps provide us with the tools to navigate both physical and personal space. This artwork was designed to be collaborative and inclusive, and to address how the arts in Alameda County schools and communities are vital. I was asked to make a public piece that was both large-scale and portable, Alameda-specific as well as universal.

Taking a map of Alameda County’s 18 school districts, I mirrored this image across 10 4×8 panels. I then isolated each district, and made an “island” of it, floating it against the dark background, to re-think the land mass as a metaphor, or a new point of connection, for the arts. The top layer of red lines and words was the web that knit these goals together. The overarching questions guiding the lines were “What connects you to the arts?” and “How do the arts connect us?” In addition, I was given specific words (“compassion”, “interdependence”, etc) to make further connections.