“Hey you, yes you . . . be the change” 

This series began with a photo of the message “Be The Change.”  Its delivery through a floral display at the L.E.A.F Flower Show in the Meatpacking District of New York City in June of 2022 drew me in.  The phrase may be overused, a bit cliche, but its delivery was spectacular.  It symbolically called out stop, three times in fact, and take notice.  Not so subtle red octagons with the bold white letters seemed to say “Hey you, yes, you. . . Be The Change.”    Fuchsia peony enveloping the ground and the bottom of the signs and popping out of the top also beckoned for a second look.  Such a simple phrase, extravagantly presented.  It’s art with a message.  I love that.

Be The Change invites all of us to make meaningful changes, grand or small.  Small changes nudge a larger change in ourselves, friend groups, cities, countries and so on.  A simple act of kindness can reverberate throughout a day.  And this goes for personal change or societal change.

I began this series by pressing a brass candy roller from the 1800s into a slab of clay.  The roller has butterflies on one end. Incorporating these beautiful symbols of change into the series felt meaningful.  Next, I painted some red circles where the octagons from the photo might match up.  There are also a variety of blues, purples and pinks for the sky, buildings and flowers.  Next, I used photolithography techniques to apply the black and white image of the floral display to the colorful slab of clay.  I love how this series turned out, it’s colorful and feels playful with the butterflies and all the flowers. I hope it will inspire us to consider how our actions can be transformative and how we want to see that change.