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  • From: Sherri Wood <sherri.wood AT earthlink.net>
  • To: abouttown AT heraldsun.com, editors AT indyweek.com, bashley AT heraldsun.com, eventcalendar AT durham-cvb.com, subrown AT newsobserver.com, durhamskywriter AT hotmail.com, csevents AT citysearch.com, ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org, mfishman AT newsobserver.com, events AT carolinawoman.com, jsykes AT newsobserver.com, listings AT newsobserver.com, durhamchline AT yahoo.com, calendar AT heraldsun.com, acoleyevent AT msn.com, tgold AT newsobserver.com, calendar AT raleighhatchet.com, maria AT downtowndurham.com, jbringle AT newsobserver.com, cgreenlee AT heraldsun.com, wtvdassignmentdesk AT abc.com, jct AT herald-sun.com
  • Cc: Sherri Wood <daintytime AT hotmail.com>
  • Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Piñata Anchor of Hope
  • Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 14:57:45 -0500

March 31, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Piñata Anchor of Hope
CONTACT: Sherri Wood, 919-599-7770, daintytime AT hotmail.com or sherri.wood AT earthlink.net


The “Anchor Piñata of Hope” April 15 – September 30, 2005
A temporary public art project for downtown Durham by Sherri Wood

Opening Reception and Performance: Friday April 15, 5:30 – 6:30pm; Anchor’s Away: 6:00 pm sharp
Off the roof of the Mr. Shoe Building, 122 W. Main Street, Durham
Into the former Woolworth’s lot below (corner of Corcoran and Main)
Tax-deductible donations are encouraged. Rain Date: Earth Day Festival, Saturday, April 23, 2pm sharp

The Piñata Anchor of Hope is currently hanging at the Durham Arts Council until April 15th. Eight feet tall, it is covered with over 700 tissue paper flowers made by SEEDS and See Saw Studio youth and other members of the community.

On April 15th, as part of the 3rd Friday Culture Crawl, during a public reception from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, the Piñata will be filled with flower seeds and soil, will be tossed, at 6pm sharp, off the Mr. Shoe Building, 122 W. Main Street, into a prepared garden bed in the former Woolworth's lot below.

Intended to spark the imagination, the “Piñata Anchor of Hope” will serve as an allegory for hope in the midst of loss. It will be an oasis of beauty and a geo-psychic "anchor" in the midst of the transitory upheaval being created during streetscape construction in downtown Durham, which began in March. Once the piñata anchor is 'planted the garden will be maintained through the end of September. As the piñata disintegrates the flowers will grow.

Earlier on April 15th at 11 am, there will be an artist procession carrying the Piñata Anchor of Hope from the Durham Arts Council, down Main Street to the Mr. Shoe building where it will be prepared for planting. All Durham artists, poets, musicians, dancers and creative individuals are encouraged to join with noisemakers and costume.

The reception/celebration/dedication will include a community potluck. People are encouraged to bring food associated with the theme of seeds, festivals and piñatas such as fruit, nuts, popcorn and candy. Stone Circles and durham3 poet, Carol Lautier, will participate in the reception/dedication of the piñata along with a community band to be announced.

Durham artist, Sherri Wood, initiated the temporary public art project and has involved organizations throughout Durham to realize it, including the City of Durham, Downtown Durham Inc, SEEDS, SeeSaw Studios, ABCD Durham, Durham Culture Crawl, durham3 poetry project, Play Matters, The Scrap Exchange and the Durham Arts Council among others.

After school youth programs, SEEDS and SeeSaw Studios are participating in two joint workdays to help create the piñata and the garden bed. The first workday was held at SeeSaw on March 16th. Over 30 youth from both organizations came together and had lots of fun while making tissue paper flowers. The second joint workday is scheduled for Wednesday, May 4, from 4-6 pm, at the former Woolworth’s lot. The groups will work with the artist to create an edging around the garden out of small bits of streetscape destruction debris. The shape of the garden bed will be determined by the random sprouting pattern of the scattered piñata seeds, which should be evident by early May.

The “Piñata Anchor of Hope” has evolved through many layers of thought. On a personal level the anchor is like the soul of the artist’s recently dead mother and is about her struggle for imagining hope in the midst of loss. On an institutional level, as artist initiated public art, it is about creating new pathways of flexibility within institutions by moving an idea originating outside the institution into acceptance and by facilitating cooperation between institutions to achieve this. On a political level its about facilitating an opportunity for people to participate in a gift economy through the sharing of resources to fund, create, promote, celebrate and realize an open festival event for the community. On a theoretical and spiritual level it's an investigation into the nature of festival and its potential role in bringing our society in tune with wholeness and the world.

The resources needed to realize this project include approximately $1300 in out of pocket costs and 1000 hours of time by the artist. The project budget of $4500 includes: cost of materials, publicity, maintenance, landscape consultant stipend and artist stipend. Tax-deductible donations are encouraged to support the “Piñata Anchor of Hope”. Checks can be made payable to Play Matters, a 501(k)3, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to supporting grass roots arts. Donations will be accepted on the day of the event or can be sent to Play Matters at 2412 Huron St., Durham, NC 27707. Limited edition letter pressed posters by Horse & Buggy Press are offered while available for donations over ten dollars.




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"Piñata Anchor of Hope" workday with SEEDS and SeeSaw Studios at SeeSaw Studios, March 16, 2005


"Piñata Anchor of Hope" letter pressed poster by Horse & Buggy Press - limited edition - available for donations over ten dollars


  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Piñata Anchor of Hope, Sherri Wood, 03/31/2005

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