Kate Painting Tom photographing
THE 50 STATES ART PROJECT Part One: Seventeen States and a Global Pandemic by Phil Hutinet
Fleming, Alamogordo, NM
82 H HILLRAG.COM
A
ldous Huxley famously said “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” Arguably, the same can be said about traveling through the United States— to travel through this vast and diverse nation is to discover that everyone is wrong about other states! Artists Kate Fleming and Tom Woodruff are heirs to the North American propensity for continental wanderlust. Their “50 States Project” follows a long-standing tradition of wanting to roam from coast-to-coast, through forests and deserts, cities and towns, in search of America. Fleming, a painter, and Woodruff, a photographer, capture American life as it exists in the moment, exploring our commonalities and differences. In cataloging their experiences, the artist duo has created an empirical visual record of the United States during a critical moment in history preceding the 2020 elections and the global COVID-19 pandemic. After finishing a residency at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in 2018, Fleming revisited an idea that had come to her and Woodruff a few years prior when traveling through Australia. They realized how little they had seen of their own country. Fleming approached CHAW’s Executive Director Amy Moore about their idea of traveling across the US as artists and creating work. With great enthusiasm and encouragement, Moore jumped at the idea of collaborating with Fleming and Woodruff on their crosscountry adventures. One of the ways in which the artistic duo and CHAW have collaborated was through remote learning. They remotely taught 8-10 year old students at CHAW an arts-based curriculum inspired by their trav-
Fleming, Hilo, HI
els. CHAW is also a fiscal agent for the project. Thanks to a 2000 Ford Econoline van that the artists bought on Craigslist, the duo was able to realize their dream of cross-country travel. With the help of Fleming’s father and some friends, including an electrical engineer and a friend with a knack for working on cars, the group turned the vehicle into a camper van that would have made host and rapper Xhibit from MTV’s “Pimp my Ride” proud! The van features a queen-sized bed that also folds into a couch. In addition, Fleming’s father and his carpenter friends mounted three solar panels atop the van to power light fixtures, a small fridge, and a charging station for cellphones and Woodruff ’s photography equipment. The only thing missing is a bathroom!
