Studies have shown that expressing oneself through art can help people with anxiety, illness and/or loss. It is more about the process of creating and not the product that helps artists cope with emotional struggles. Art becomes a form of meditation, it has been reported that the repetitive actions of art actually bring on a response similar to the physiological “relaxation response”.

Initially I struggled with the idea that the work resembled a totem, though once I looked up the meaning, I felt more comfortable with the form.

Wikipedia: A totem (Ojibwe doodem) is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.

The 4 cylindrical forms are symbolic of the 4 airplanes. I am still working on the structures….as life got in the way! My other half ended up having heart bypass surgery which put a stop to my process. Hopefully this project will be complete for 9/11, if not…..it will continue.

There has been much support in vessel making-I am in need of 35 vessels- 1 for each employee killed. Yesterday I had a zoom session teaching a few people how to make felted vessels. I supplied the wool, flax etc., it was the first time I taught something on zoom…..Roe Macuga Thellman from Beaver, Pa, made her first felted piece! Roe and I flew together years ago!

A vessel is a hollow form…..both the 4 cylindrical forms and the felted wool vessels are containers-

Merriam Webster Dictionary: A vessel, a: ship or large boat. b: a person into whom some quality (such as grace) is infused.