“Gather and Release” by Elaine Elledge

Elaine Elledge in the Margins @ SAM

There is no greater force at work in an artist than the need to create. There are times when, due to circumstances far beyond control, that need gets sidelined even though the desire burns bright.

Altoona-born, Harrisburg-based artist Elaine Elledge faced such a daunting challenge, due to a serious health concern combined with the test of new motherhood. Those demands, physical and emotional, left the artist with depleted strength, as she looked for time to see her project through to the end. The fervent desire to push onward against odds and obstacles won out. Her remarkable reward is on view in the main lobby at the Susquehanna Art Museum through Oct. 6. At the halfway point in its run at SAM, it is the golden ticket for this Friday’s 3rd in the Burg.

Finding beauty in impermanence is the hallmark foundation of the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi. Chasing the ever-allusive entity of beauty is what kept Elaine afloat, navigating the flotsam and jetsam of life’s sometimes difficult waters. Utilizing fragmentary moments during the baby’s naps and when health provided strength, she carved out crucial windows of time. Mounting an astounding solo show, “Margins and the Height of the Sun” at SAM proved to be Elaine’s raison d’etre, realizing the tangible goal of seeing her work completed.

Elaine Elledge

The Millworks artist-in-residence can take heart with a great sense of accomplishment, knowing all the hard work was well worth the balancing act it took. Incorporating paper, cheese cloth, fabric and the fine arts of printmaking and sewing combined to create a rich and full experience with a tactile tableau that weaves both the medical and domestic materials of life into a tapestry of triumphant tenacity.

“Margins”…could refer to those slivers of sacrifice when Elaine’s strength ebbed, yet her need to push through superseded any shards of discomfort, shining a light at the end of the tunnel. The artist divulged, “between moves, babies and illness, making art is not done out of abundance but exhaustion and weakness. It is necessary. It is beautiful. It is hard.”

Elaine found deeper meaning in achieving her goal through a will of spirit. Her journey, cathartic in nature, is shared from a physical, philosophical and personal perspective with every stitch and thread detailing the road to resilience and resurgence.

Contact the artist: [email protected]

susquehannaartmuseum.org

Hometown Heroes of the AAH 

Allison Juliana and Carrie Feid

“Yay we go way back where we started from. We were hometown heroes high enough for everyone. Oh, we used to say, ‘it’s one for all and all for one.’”

So go the beginning lines from the effervescently catchy song, “Hometown Heroes” by Moon Taxi from a few years back. Viewing the big picture at a vantage point high on the hill at Reservoir Park, summer art instructors of the AAH, Carrie Feidt and Allison Juliana, had home field advantage and 20/20 vision in their game plan for the entire summer. Teaching art and the love for it is second nature to these two, just doing what comes naturally. Translating that to active city youth, every day, the routine of creative endeavors could pose a challenge, but these two art adventurers are so skilled that their target group was unaware they were learning a new skill set. It was all just like having a group hug daily with fun at the center.

Young artists at work

All seated at the picnic tables by the pavilion, the group of young artists were only too eager to put books aside just for a few weeks and pick up paints, brushes and other tools of the trade. The best part—it exercises the right side of the brain, the one that stimulates thinking outside the box, the creative cortex.

Carrie and Allison were wowed by the group’s output and even. at times, a competitive nature was all in good fun for lifting spirits. The art classes were part of Harrisburg’s Summer Enrichment Program, free to city residents age 6 to 14. The camps just ended on Aug. 9, running five days a week with a free lunch for all participants. Beyond the site at Reservoir, the program was offered at seven other city parks. The camps included yoga, pool trips and art but not all at once. The campers can’t wait until next summer, keeping their brushes at the ready. Judging by the art map, just about every city quadrant had a camp close by. A big thanks to Mayor Wanda Williams for such a great summer initiative and to Carrie Wissler-Thomas at the Art Association of Harrisburg for providing the program with the art instructors, one of its many community-wide art outreach programs. Hometown Heroes ends this celebration of its summer chapter with art campers singing, “one for all and all for one.”

Contact: artassocofhbg.com

harrisburgpa.gov+summer

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