APRIL CAMLIN ARTIST STATEMENT

Although it is natural to experience our lives as a continuum in which one event flows subtly into the next, there are, at times, Threshold moments that we pass through, where there is a distinct and discernible “before” and “after”. These times in our lives can often be understood through the archetype of the Rite of Passage — an initiatory challenge that is an intrinsic and unavoidable step forward on our path of transformation. Cut off from resources we had previously taken for granted, we find new strengths and abilities awaiting us within. Because of the myriad and inextricable ways that we are woven together, we encounter these Threshold moments both at the individual and the collective level. 

Learning New Powers presents a series of wreaths wrought in commemoration of a close friend who lost her battle with a rare and aggressive breast cancer this spring. Full of grief and fear and struggling with my own disabling set of health challenges, I began to take meditative walks through the Davis Cemetery. On these walks I started to embrace the miraculous, indeterminate, chaotic, painful, and profound event of my own existence and eventual non-existence in a deeper way than ever before. I was struck by the unconscious denial of death that I found within myself when I looked into my depths. There is no turning back once you cross the Threshold of this uncomfortable truth; I can only stumble forward, making my best attempts towards acceptance. 

I am a scavenger, a collector, a noticer, a cherisher.  I work in the shadows but am trying to embrace the sun. My art takes form through resourcefulness, intuition, and ceremony. I constructed these wreaths using dumpstered tree branches, plants collected from meaningful places, found fragments of jewelry and ornamentation, hand-twisted cords, and second-hand candle wax. The custom of the funerary wreath has been extant for thousands of years, and perhaps this was why I gravitated towards the practice of wreathmaking after losing Jess. To me, the circular form of the wreath evokes the ouroboros, an ancient alchemical symbol representing the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that lies at the heart of many mystery traditions. 

In addition to the opening reception on Friday, October 13, there will be a closing event which I hope you will consider attending on Saturday October 28 from 4-6 pm. This event will take place outside and will feature a guided meditative experience through the cemetery grounds and the Davis Threshold Choir  will offer a singing circle so that community members can receive the healing gift of song. 

Named to honor the year of their first interment, Gallery 1855 is located within the beautiful and historic office building in the center of the Davis Cemetery and Arboretum. The gallery is accessible by ramp. 

This show is dedicated to the memory of Jessica Green, David Breaux, and Karim Abou Najm.