Shapeshifting | Transformations in Native American Art

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  • The Grand Canyon where the earth clearly felt so much bigger than any one of us, where I felt connected to spirit, and where I knew THINGS have little purpose.
    Apr 28 1:02 pm
  • Who I am, and I think this applies to most people, is made up of the effects each and every one of my experiences has had on me. On of my most transforming places was in a psychiatric hospital for anxiety, stemming from my PTSD. I was abused as a child, and have only just begun my journey of healing, and that is where it started. A understanding person wrote me a letter. "You are worthy of love"
    Apr 24 11:40 am
  • Cape Ann gets into your system like no other. Having spent my childhood here, I still feel the wonder of the place from the child's perspective. Our roots are deep wherever they are set. I can not fathom being denied a place where my own roots grew.
    Apr 15 3:24 pm
  • The streams of the Smoky Mountains are a core image from my childhood and every time I return, the combination of the sound, the flow through and over the rocks, the light and shade of the trees, the coolness in summer is infinitely soothing, something I could watch forever.
    Apr 13 3:26 pm
  • Cape Cod in the 1950's before it became a resort. It was abundant beauty, glorious light, and peacefully quiet with we natives living close to the land.
    Apr 07 2:22 pm
  • The beach has always been a place of pure transformation for me - it's simplicity and quiet repetition of tidal sounds. There's no more soothing and recuperative place on earth - I can't live without the coast nearby.
    Mar 31 2:35 pm
  • Swimming in the pool of a mountain waterfall It was really chilly at first, then my body felt like I was glowing with heat. I glanced around at the rocks and splashing water and both forgot myself and discovered myself.
    Mar 31 1:04 pm
  • A Boston shelter. I changed the way I looked at the homeless shelter I lived in. In my imagination I was a monk in a monastery stripped of all worldly possessions.
    Mar 23 6:49 am
  • The woods behind my childhood home where my sisters and I played for hours. There were no instructions; no right or wrong, just imaginative free-play.
    Mar 15 2:42 pm
  • Going to school and camp I learned new things. At camp I learned how to walk on a wire with a partner and only have our hands touch.
    Feb 19 3:08 pm
  • All places transform you if you spend enough time there and open yourself to the native spirit. We breathe space, we drink time, and become one with the "there."
    Feb 05 2:26 pm
  • Yes, I come from South Africa and it is always from these roots that all my actions and appreciation for the grandness of Life comes.
    Jan 29 3:29 pm
  • My year in South Africa transformed my soul. The vista of Table Mountain from our apartment is forever seared into my heart and mind.
    Jan 22 3:49 pm
  • Bryce Canyon at sunrise, the colors and power of the hoodoos.
    Jan 17 1:53 pm
  • Farm school in Athlon, MA. I do recall that it changed my life because it taught me to believe that no matter what people think of me, I still have to stay true to myself.
    Jan 16 3:17 pm
  • Mt. Baldy in southern California where I grew up stood like a guardian out our picture window. I greet him every time I fly in and out of there. We often spent time at different places on his slopes. When the sky is clear there is a good view of him from my father's grave where I will be buried when that time comes.
    Jan 16 1:45 pm
  • The place was an inner world I had created. A place where I realized that the most vibrant thing I could fill myself with was joy and love. It is in this inner landscape that I began a journey and discovery of the color and wonder that lives within me and each person.
    Apr 28 4:29 pm
  • Door mountain in Acadia transformed me. I had to take a dangerous jump over a stream, and as I jumped over my daring-ness, maturity, and courage got way bigger and better.
    Apr 19 12:34 pm
  • The bow of my father's cruising sailboat.... Knifing it's way through deep blue Lake Ontario....Steel sky... November crisp.
    Apr 15 2:23 pm
  • The art room in my elementary school. That was where I realized my love for drawing
    Apr 11 3:55 pm
  • The gym at Matignon high school where playing basketball with others in the aptly named Never Too Late program got me out of my work-home-work routine and reconnected to the community and getting up to play instead of sitting at a desk.
    Apr 07 12:04 pm
  • An awesome experience that I had was standing at the top of Mt. Etna in Sicily and hearing the tremendous thundering sound coming from miles below, the bowels of the earth. Reminding me of the wonderous beauty and fear of nature and how the world actually began as a fire ball.
    Apr 03 11:34 am
  • There was a big hill near my house when I grew up and I loved sitting on top of it.
    Mar 31 3:17 pm
  • There's a place at my college at night that transforms the grass by the light of a lamp post. It makes the environment around it a peaceful state to gaze onto from the busy hustle during the day.
    Mar 30 3:32 pm
  • Traveling to new lands and meeting people closer to the earth, as Mexican villages with their natural beauty and fine art work inspire me to imagine and paint, as does being here, evoke responses of wonder and shame at our heritage and record.
    Mar 18 4:05 pm
  • The Grand Tetons continue to impress and astound us, even after many visits...a spiritual feeling. (Grandchildren in Wilson, WY, add to the joy of the Tetons!)
    Mar 02 2:37 pm
  • Place is defined within the self. And the definition can change.
    Feb 25 3:32 pm
  • Going to college really changed me. I would not be the man I am today if it wasn't for going to B.U.
    Feb 25 3:32 pm
  • A place that transformed me was the world. It shocked me, the ocean, us, the trees -- they all interested me. Nothing in the world bores me, except for homework!!
    Feb 24 3:47 pm
  • Yes. When I climbed mount Washington last summer, it was amazing to see all of the natural features of the mountain. The lake of the clouds was beautiful. After that, I learned the meaning of hard work, when I had to climb barren rocks for what seemed like an eternity.
    Feb 22 1:55 pm
  • On the cruise we took to Alaska last year I was petrified went we went around the ice bergs due to the Titanic but it changed me to trust people like the captain.
    Feb 22 1:53 pm
  • The Grand Canyon in Arizona had transformed my life because. It was amazing, breathtaking. It was like no other thing I had ever seen.
    Feb 22 12:59 pm
  • The Wailing Wall in Israel--- it renewed my connections to my faith , and connected me to ancestral history. It was astounding and in thinking about it; I'm struck again by the power of the experience and also how huge and beautiful and sacred the Wall is.
    Feb 21 10:53 am
  • Yes Leroy Street transformed me and my sister it was the street behind ours that we were not allowed to go down because everyone knew that the really dangerous people lived there. We developed ideas about people and houses...My fears opened my mind to urban mythology and taboo and creativity.
    Feb 20 2:02 pm
  • Listening to the wild sounds of the North Woods in spring, while kayaking on an undeveloped pond.
    Feb 19 1:57 pm
  • The dunes on Cape Cod come to mind. In one sense they are austere, when the sun is cloud-covered. But when the sun exposes the landscape, it is like gold.
    Feb 18 3:58 pm
  • Yes. Jail on false charges. It was not a good transformation. Fortunately life changed me back.
    Feb 05 3:48 pm
  • Italy and my family have made me inspired and the way I am today!!! I love them more than anything in the world
    Feb 05 11:53 am
  • My family's summer home by the beach. The water and the land come together and sing. I love what's not seen in this piece - the dancers' upper selves.
    Feb 01 4:18 pm
  • Driving over the bridge to Cape Cod - every time.
    Jan 29 2:07 pm
  • Mascoma lake in ENfield NH. Summers away with grandparents were relaxing, and affirming.
    Jan 27 4:11 pm
  • Game drive in South Africa
    Jan 22 11:25 am
  • Everywhere the ocean meets land
    Jan 17 3:55 pm
  • This exhibition. Interacting with art gives everything a whole new meaning and depth that helps me examine everything deeper
    Jan 16 2:52 pm
  • I have to say that this museum has transformed a part of me that allows me now to appreciate art and the message it gives to the onlooker.
    Jan 16 11:13 am
  • The ocean transforms me each time I see it or am on it. The waves are the pulse of the planet and they tune me closer to Earth; I get peaceful with that tuning.
    Jan 15 2:25 pm
  • Yes, when I went to Israel and saw the sun rise on Masada and looked at the Dead Sea.
    Jan 14 3:35 pm
  • My grandmother's kitchen. The lessons learned on what to do and what not to do were priceless. However, don't assume that she always modeled the correct things to do.
    Jan 06 4:22 pm
  • Amherst, MA transformed me. I went to graduate school there and my mind was shaped in amazing ways.
    Jan 06 4:20 pm
  • I've always felt most connected to a little town in Italy called Ferrara. I am not Italian but I felt most at home when visiting.
    Dec 21 6:18 pm
  • SPRINGTIME, WE ALL LOVE SPRINGTIME, ALL THE NEW GROWTH ESPECIALLY HERE IN NEW ENGLAND, AFTER THE LONG COLD WINTER.
    NATURE HAS ALWAYS INSPIRED ME AND HEALED ME. SO MANY PLACES Have touched me. from the CRACKED REDWOODS IN MUIR FOREST THAT KEPT ON GROWING AFTER BEING ON FIRE. craters in Hawaii, to the mountains in Ireland. Or the simple bud that slowly grew outside my bedroom window, one spring when i had lost my family, and that bud KEPT ME ALIVE.
    SNORKELING IN HAWAII AND THE CARRIBEAN , TRANSFORMED ME BACK TO THE CHILDHOOD, I USED TO DANCE AND PLAY IN THE WATER. WATCHING THE FISH DANCE AWAY FROM ME OR FOLLOW ME WITH THEIR BRIGHT COLORS ALLOWED ME TO BECOME THAT CHILD AGAIN AND DANCE TO AND WITH NATURE. I OBSERVE, I FEEL I GET THE RYTHYM.
    Oct 05 2:42 pm
  • Alaska...the last U.S. frontier...magnificent...and it's Native people's and their reverence for life...all of it
    Apr 27 12:36 pm
  • Yes San Ignacio. In Baha Mexico when I touched Grey whales.
    Apr 24 12:05 pm
  • The grand canyon helped me get over my fear of heights, and helped me learn that fear makes life interesting, without danger, there is no point in doing anything.
    Apr 20 1:52 pm
  • Mount Cadillac in Acadia Maine transformed things for me, it helped me find the good in things.
    Apr 20 1:50 pm
  • A place that transformed was Disney World. It was really the first place that I went and it was just magical.
    Apr 19 2:46 pm
  • When I scored a goal from a corner kick in soccer without anyone touching the ball. The goalie dived but missed.
    Apr 17 11:30 am
  • Looking out at the ocean ....towards Portugal.
    Apr 13 11:47 am
  • Beautiful, magical, NH
    Apr 12 3:15 pm
  • Saw my dad at the airport for the first time.
    Mar 31 3:18 pm
  • Seawall, Maine It confirmed me, looking across the ocean at dawn, when the water was totally still.
    Mar 31 12:59 pm
  • My first step into the open in Hawaii. I had never been to a place that was as jaw-droppingly beautiful in my life. And I was 40 years old at the time.
    Mar 29 11:06 am
  • The ocean transformed me forty years ago. I love the colors, the shapes of the waves, the motion of the tide, and the natural debris left on the beach. It is pure magic and I am still under its spell.
    Mar 28 12:02 pm
  • Yesterday seeing the influence of power and money at the awards ceremony of the Region IV Science and Engineering Fair...Food for thought.
    Mar 25 4:24 pm
  • Living on a lake while I was in high school and watching the wild life that shared my living space.
    Mar 22 12:52 pm
  • My house in Maine. I remember the wildlife, the views, Maine transformed me.
    Mar 20 10:43 am
  • My grandmother's house, because I like fishing now.
    Mar 06 11:43 am
  • The Green Mountains of Vermont inspired and nurtured me and made me feel safe.
    Mar 02 2:10 pm
  • When I went to Amsterdam, there were beautiful places to explore. Also, I got to see the Anne Frank Museum. It was a great experience.
    Mar 02 12:24 pm
  • Yes, I can -- when I visited Yosemite National Park in the summer I saw beautiful landscapes and glorious sights!
    Mar 02 12:22 pm
  • I went to Hawaii with my school in December to honor alumni that died in Pearl Harbor, and did some old Polynesian enlightenment experiences. That was awesome.
    Feb 28 2:27 pm
  • Not really, but this artist's juxtaposition of the two panels has me thinking differently about the relationship of place and my SELF!
    Feb 25 1:02 pm
  • Northern Maine during the summer near the border.
    Feb 24 1:57 pm
  • Mountains, everywhere, are magic. I must always be near mountains and the ocean. One can always dance at both!
    Feb 24 1:48 pm
  • My family and I went on a trip to Maine a little while ago. At my papa George's house there, I went in the fridge for milk. Hoping I was alone, I wanted it so nobody saw, but when I opened the door to the fridge, the butter tray tumbled out with a crash. Everybody looked over! I felt selfish for not asking first. But nobody minded!
    Feb 24 1:46 pm
  • The Pyrenees Mountains in Spain that border France -- the best hike of my life!
    Feb 24 12:04 pm
  • My old school turned me into a different person because I felt comfortable there.
    Feb 22 12:59 pm
  • I recall a place in my old school when I was playing a soccer game and I literally felt like I was speaking to the gods.
    Feb 22 12:50 pm
  • A place that transformed me was the Peabody Essex museum. Awesome place.
    Feb 22 11:47 am
  • At my school, there is a really big field where my friend and I go to every Thursday for recess. It's nice and silent. And for some reason all the Thursdays are nice and breezy.
    Feb 21 3:47 pm
  • I come from Spain and I came to Salem. It changed my style.
    I still visit Spain in the summer
    Feb 21 3:46 pm
  • Home revisited after a long absence
    Feb 21 3:12 pm
  • The beach. It is fun and it makes me appreciate nature, the water, and the whole wide world.
    Feb 20 3:33 pm
  • A place that transformed me was a big field because you could just look for miles and miles and not see anything but grass.
    Feb 20 3:05 pm
  • Salem. Spirit, earth, air, fire, water....
    Feb 20 2:34 pm
  • Every year, my family visits my grandparents in New Mexico. The mountains and the sky are endless, and they make me feel like I am a tiny fish in a huge ocean.
    Feb 20 12:59 pm
  • On a cruise in the Caribbean seeing the dolphins jumping in the water and the sunrise
    Feb 20 10:48 am
  • My first school changed me. It helped me learn and challenged me.
    Feb 19 2:08 pm
  • Yes. Raymond, Maine. Beautiful, peaceful, and calming.
    Feb 19 12:46 pm
  • Everywhere I go transforms me in some way.
    Feb 18 3:51 pm
  • Yes - that place was a tree house that I played in when I was young
    Feb 18 1:39 pm
  • My trip to legoland in Denmark -Bo age 7.
    Feb 11 3:21 pm
  • Mountains are enjoyed world wide. Those in Copan, Hondurasn are my favorite!
    Feb 10 2:13 pm
  • Burch house therapeutic community
    Feb 07 12:02 pm
  • The beach in Santa Monica, CA when I was seven.
    Feb 05 11:29 am
  • The heart of another
    Feb 04 1:38 pm
  • Yes, when I went to Florida to see my pops & gramie and swam in the pool.
    Jan 31 3:05 pm
  • My first AA meeting.
    Jan 29 2:50 pm
  • Alaska, from the cruise ship in the morning, after throwing open the curtains
    Jan 29 1:53 pm
  • New Mexico transformed me. It seemed like an opposite world to the east coast where I am from. At first, I thought the dessert was barren. I learned differently. The mountains were more beautiful than New England's mountains, more feminine. I felt closer to the earth in New Mexico.
    Jan 28 2:09 pm