Story
Who:
Hi, my name is Carrie Mixon and I'm an artist and student at a liberal arts college in Georgia. I grew up in Africa. My family lived in the country of Kenya, first in the "bush" and then in the bustling capital of Nairobi. Now, after being away at college for a few years, I have the opportunity to go to a new part of Africa – Morocco - with a greater understanding of what I'm passionate about and an eagerness to engage the world around me through art.
Growing up Kenya, life was full of creative opportunities, whether rigging up blanket forts in the garden, solving the small inconveniences of living in an African city, or sewing with vibrant fabrics. My family taught me to love story and people. Kenya taught me to love place, color, and all the gritty, growing details of life and culture. I have experienced the impact a place can have on a person.
Visit my online portfolio
here: http://www.carriemixon.portfoliobox.me/home
What:
I believe we are embodied People, each occupying a particular Place for a reason, and there is a deeply complex and beautiful relationship between those two realities. I hope to respond redemptively to the reality of the brokenness and beauty in this people/place relationship through my artwork and creative process.
Fiber art is a wonderful medium
for this because fibers and textiles are an integral part of all the social and
physical spaces we create and react to everyday. And this is true, with
astounding continuity and variety, of every culture! It's this very normal-ness
and flexibility, I believe, that make fibers a powerful material to create art
with.
Where:
From January 18-February 25, I will participate in an art residency in Tetouan, Morocco with Green Olive Arts. GOA
organizes "seasons of facilitated research, production, collaboration, and
cultural exchange" for artists from all over the world, in an intentional
and responsible way. For me, this will be a time to explore and produce fiber
arts, in areas such as machine and hand embroidery. As a growing artist, I'm
excited to engage in discussion and learning as part of an international
artistic community and to gain inspiration from new surroundings and people,
especially investing in the city of Tetouan. I’ll get to take what I've learned
in the classroom and practice it by developing my own works
of art from conception to completion.
During my stay in Morocco, I also
hope to share my thoughts and skills with different groups in Tetouan, and
possibly other cities, in a spirit of cultural exchange. Though I am going to
Morocco as a learner, I'm passionate about contributing to the global community
by encouraging and supporting the arts as an avenue for greater cross-cultural
understanding.
But I need your help to begin my
journey into this global exchange of art and culture!
Visit Green Olive Arts website here: http://greenolivearts.com/
Exchange
My Needs
My goal is to raise at
least $3,600 of the funds I need to pay for my time at Green
Olive Arts through this campaign. This will help me cover the basics of:
- Studio fees for 6 weeks $ 1,440
- Housing (Hotels and a Home-stay) $ 1,800
- Food $ 215
- (the remainder pays Indiegogo for their services)
Additional gifts after the
initial goal is reached will help me pay for:
- A bit more food!
- Travel in Morocco $85
- Materials for my fiber art $200
- Two weeks of basic Moroccan Arabic lessons $172
- Lessons in the Moroccan art of Fesi embroidery! $70
Your Task
By supporting my art residency,
you can participate in my exploration of the relationship between
people and their places as I meet and learn from Moroccans and observe
their geographic and social spaces. So take a look at the levels of what you
can give financially on the right side of this page!
As a college student, I know that
not everybody can give monetary support to this kind of campaign, even if you
are really excited about it. But you can support what I'm doing in other ways too!
A huge help would be for you to share
my campaign on social media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. The more
people hear, the more people I get the chance to share this adventure with!
Another wonderful way you can
invest in what I'm doing is to explore Moroccan and other international
art. You can start by going to Green Olive Arts website and using their resources to learn about what's happening in Morocco. Doing a
little intentional browsing about the global arts is a great way to understand, respect, and appreciate
our fellow humans as we should.
Our Exchange
As a thank you for your help, I'm
offering some Perks that will hopefully connect you to this experience
in a personal way!
They include:
- Handwritten thank you notes.
- Postcards with images of my work or something
beautiful that I see.
- A "moment" of real experience shared with
you through a small hand-written poem, story, sketch, or description.
- Block printed cork coaster sets and greeting card
sets, with blocks inspired by a variety of African textiles.
- Free embroidery 4"x6" Samplers, which will
be inspired by my time in Morocco.
A note on timing: After my month and an half in Morocco, I
will be heading home to Kenya until August, which means mail will be a bit
slower if you're in the States or Europe. Therefore, the first 3 perks I listed
(Thank you notes, postcards, and "moments") will hopefully get to you
between March-May, but the larger perks (coasters, cards, and samplers) may not
make it until as late at August. I'd really appreciate your patience in this as
I try to ensure you get your perks! And feel free to contact me with any questions
about this.
If you're interested in following my adventures
in Kenya, shoot me a message and I'll let you know when I get a blog or
newsletter running!
Risks
There are certainly some risks
involved for me on the trip and for you supporting me! But they are challenges
that I'm ready to face and will lead, I firmly believe, to growth and a widened
understanding of art and of our complex world.
For example:
- I am a student artist: This is a risk because I'm not
a professional. I will probably not create world-rocking, history-making
works of art on this trip. But,
that isn't the purpose of this art residency. You (and I!) will be
investing in a learning experience, with the goal of developing
an upcoming generation of globally minded artists.
- Cultural misunderstandings could hinder my learning and tarnish global artistic relationships: That would
be unfortunate indeed, but I
have thankfully lived and moved internationally all my life without
anything dire happening. Therefore, I am confident that though I will
certainly make mistakes, learning usually happens through mistakes and
through humbly navigating their consequences.
- I don't reach my goal: This would present a real
challenge, but it
wouldn't mean returning my plane ticket just yet. Because I'm using
the flexible funding option on Indiegogo, I can still keep most of what I
do raise, and then I would have to work really hard and be really creative
about other ways to earn money. If all else failed for the time being,
your contributions would be carefully laid aside to go toward
other artistic learning opportunities when they arise.
I am a proactive learner, both as
an artist and as a person, and I think this attitude can help guide me through
all the above challenges and many others, but I do need your
encouragement and support enormously as I take on this new
adventure!
Thank you for your interest
and support!
