For those of us artists and workers in the nonprofit realm, (I am a founder of a 31 year old organization for social change through the arts), time off is only a promise of something that will come and often doesn't.
So I must stop and say this: I
am so grateful to those on the other side of the country who made this stay possible for me, as well as the Gaea Foundation who provided me my Sea Change home away from home.At SPARC the most important work of preparation for our contracts with the State of California for the California Cultural and Historical Endowment's grant to restore the Great Wall of Los Angeles (a life long work of mine) continued to be ruthlessly demanding in my absence. I have a particular debt of gratitude to Debra Padilla our Executive Director who did not have a vacation, but instead tended every detail of the needed agreements to fulfill our contracts to restore the half mile long work on the little told story of the alternate history of California which includes contribution by its ethnic and immigrant groups. She carried this out along with all the other daily demands of a very busy art center. CLICK TO SEE GREAT WALL
Farhad my right hand in the UCLA/SPARC Digital Mural Lab responded to all the demands of our on-going public art projects in progress in my absence, such as last minute requests for additional technical and architectual drawings before taking his shortened vacation time. Carlos our lab assistant and student, was able to join his family in El Salvador for vacation after working intently with the SPARC/OTIS teenage youth in our O"team digital lab at SPARC this summer.
We will all convene next week to celebrate our interns and staff including Pilar our achivist and Betty our Project Assistant who have been "womaning" our requests from the public and visitors this summer. Thank you for keeping the SPARC in SPARC lit while I was away and assisting Debra.
I will join you all to continue our important work refreshed and prepared and thank you for your support to SPARC.
