Alchemical Vessels

Alchemical Vessels

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Alchemical Vessels 125 Artists Explore the Concept of Healing Space

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Š 2013 Joan Hisaoka Healing Ar ts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Ar ts ISBN: 978-0-9894094-0-7

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Dedicated to the memory of Barbara Smith Coleman and Joan Hisaoka

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Gallery

Art Advisory

Founded in 2008, the Joan Hisaoka Healing Ar ts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Ar ts, is a nonprofit ar ts space in Washington, DC dedicated to exhibiting fine ar t that explores the innate connection between healing and creativity.

Ar t has the rare ability to mend social, psychological, and physical ills by building community, inspiring change, and celebrating life.

A rotating exhibition schedule features contemporar y, international and national ar tists addressing a diversity of significant themes, such as spirituality, social change, multiculturalism, health, environmentalism, and community.

In fall 2012, Smith Center launched the Ar t Advisory. By bringing socially conscious and inspirational fine ar t to private collectors, corporations, and healthcare facilities the Ar t Advisory assists clients in transforming their live and work environments into healing spaces.

We believe that ar t possesses the ability to transform a space by eliciting positive responses and promoting physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Representing 20 ar tists selected from a national call and working in a diversity of mediums, the Ar t Advisory offers clients a dynamic mix of works to choose from and build their unique collections.

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Mission

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts is a nonprofit health, education, and arts organization with a mission to develop and promote healing practices that explore physical, emotional, and mental resources that lead to life-affirming changes for people affected by cancer. Our work is based on a single profound idea: that everyone harbors the innate ability to heal even in the face of life’s most serious challenges, and that ability to heal is enhanced by holistic approaches that include the healing power of the arts.

We offer empowering programs and activities for adult survivors and caregivers, as well as support and creative resources for the community at large through our Integrative Patient Navigation Services; Weeklong and One-Day Cancer Retreats; our Artist-In-Residence Program; exhibitions and lectures in The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery; and our Community Resource Center at our U Street facility where we hold ongoing programs, classes, and workshops.

Contact

Smith Center for Healing and the Ar ts 1632 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 www.smithcenter.org 202.483.8600

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Introduction

by Smith Center Executive Director, Shanti Norris Telling our story is the beginning of healing. And we tell our stories to each other in community, in a circle of trust – the original alchemical vessel. We need a safe container in which to divulge our secrets, share our sordid pasts, and speak the unspeakable. Through that mysterious process we can be forever changed – for the better.

Ar tists have always been a par t of this process – as poets and storytellers, as dancers and musicians, as creators of theater – as visual ar tists who take us on a journey of discovery. An ar tist’s job is to transform materials and create something new and previously unknown. They are the prototypical alchemists and have been an integral component of healing since medicine began. Shamanism is the earliest form of medicine and is found in almost every culture, replete with music, ritual, and symbolic imagery. The shamans, ar tists and wisdom teachers tell us the same thing - first take care of the soul.

Over our 17 years of working with people living with cancer at Smith Center we see this – allowing ourselves to experience who we are, suffering, strife and all, in a safe and suppor tive environment, putting us in touch with the deepest internal sources of healing.

Alchemy is the ar t of transformation and an alchemical vessel is the container that holds and allows transformation to occur.

While the container takes different shapes and sizes, it is a necessary component in order for base metal to undergo the fiery and difficult transformation into gold.

I think of Smith Center itself as an Alchemical Vessel, a safe space that exists to serve the process for healing and transformation, the gaining of wisdom. The hear t of our healing work is this notion of transformation – by being in community, by working with skilled facilitators and staff, by creating ar t - a sense of loss, illness or grief can be transformed into something which is bearable. Through this process suffering is transformed into meaning.

In 2011 Smith Center created the 9/11 Ar ts project, a citywide healing ar ts response on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

An extraordinary committee of ar tists, curators, healers, non-profit leaders and social justice activists met regularly for almost two years to create ways for community ar ts based dialogue to occur.

This resulted in over 200 events with over 30 par tners. A fur ther outcome was a decision to continue the community dialogue on the power of the ar ts to heal. And out of that the Alchemical Vessels project was created.

We envisioned Alchemical Vessels as a project to connect 125 of the best Washington, DC based ar tists – each working in their own studios on a common theme. We invited 14 guest curators to each select a minimum of 5 ar tists to par ticipate. We included ar tists from our Ar t Advisory and Gallery Director Brooke Seidelman and I each selected additional ar tists.

Once the ar tists had agreed to par ticipate, we invited them to a panel of healers to learn more about the history of alchemy, the symbolism of the alchemical vessel and the nature of deep healing work. The panel consisted of Lucia Mercer, massage therapist and shamanic practitioner, Susan Ley, former head of William Wendt Center for Healing and Loss, Sondra Geller, Jungian psychotherapist and ar t therapist, and myself. To make the experience personal I concluded the session with a brief experiential visualization asking each ar tist to envision what needs to be healed in each of us, and what that healing would look like. Each ar tist was asked to transform this healing into an Alchemical Vessel.

What you see in this catalogue are the extraordinary results. Thank you to the curators and ar tists, who trusted us when we first proposed this crazy notion and par ticipated so fully. It has been an inspiring journey for the staff at Smith Center. The ar tists have expressed two recurring comments: gratitude for being par t of this process and how ar tistically and/or personally challenging the project was. For many this is a complete depar ture from their usual materials and methodology. Just what we wanted!

A special thanks to the ar tists all of whom donated their creations for a fundraising event in suppor t of Smith Center and the Joan Hisaoka Gallery. Special thanks to the DC Commission on the Ar ts and Humanities for making this project and this catalogue possible.

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The Alchemical Vessels of Healing and the Arts: An Introduction by Wendy Miller

The collection of works in the Alchemical Vessels exhibition is an example of ar t as remnants of experience. These vessels represent what the ar tists, curators, gallery staff, and project managers have left behind. They stand on their own as ar tworks; yet they also stand as images of the experience of collaboration, community building, healing, caring, giving, and giving back. The ar tworks themselves sit within a larger framework – vessels within vessels, all committed to the alchemical process of change and transformation. The Joan Hisaoka Healing Ar ts Gallery is an alchemical vessel of its own, within a larger vessel of the Smith Center for Healing and the Ar ts.

The vision for this show has been built on the hear t and soul of the Smith Center where the fundamental concept of healing is safe space, alone or in groups, to tell what is meaningful in our lives and longs for transformation. Heating the base metals of our inner experiences transforms our pain into gold.

Alchemy in Collectivity The question of the individual experience (the lone bowl) vs. the collective experience (the gallery space) pushes on our definition of healing and creativity. When we face illness, loss, grief, death, hope, renewal, change, we are existentially alone.

When we meet the shared space of creativity, community, and collaboration, the adriftness shifts.

The space opens and something else comes in. The collective presence changes the individual experience.

What the Joan Hisaoka Healing Ar ts Gallery has offered in creating an exhibit such as this is a chance to be among others, to face the existential in a collective. In bringing the individual bowl into one’s studio, the questions and concerns are personal — what will I do? Will it be good enough? All the individual questions, prides, and insecurities fall by the wayside when one faces one’s own bowl surrounded by its co-par tners in creativity — accented and suppor ted by and contrasted with its family of vessels. This is the

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essence of the transformative process. The alchemy in collectivity holds the vision and presence of the whole gallery space as the container, the vessel, for the depth of our human experiences.

Alchemical Artists and their Artworks Informed trust builds trust, builds ar t, builds beauty, builds hope, builds spirit, builds change. Each curator’s choice of five ar tists has already built collaboration and community into the vessels before they were even handled by the individual ar tist’s hands. Unconscious competence – like invisible threads of communication – passes through their studio windows. The essential ingredients that go into the cauldron of their materials are raw physicality combined with spiritual presence and the layering of sensibility mixed with an individual’s life force/life story/life skill. What remains is gathered into the presence you see in each vessel — bowl as openness, bowl as holder, bowl as giving, bowl as broken, bowl as wholeness.

Theme/Purpose We are par t of a collective sea of change, like a river of poetry that runs underground in each of our psyches trying to push for th its truth of integration and connection, its truth of the depth of our stories. We cannot just go to a gallery to receive beauty, to stand back and take it in; we need to also give beauty, give of ourselves to benefit the place and the viewers.

We are formed by and form our own lives — we are shaped by our circumstances, all of which has collected and been deposited upon us. Our stories are our colors; our shapes are our containers. We try to contain all that takes place until that time comes when the materials of life push us into unchar ted territories; from here, we question everything about what we believe, know, and care about. This alchemical vessel of our body/mind/ hear t/spirit confronts life as life confronts us. We are all in it together.

Personal Perspective Over 15 years ago, I was par t of a group of people

invited by Barbara Smith Coleman to envision what the Smith Center would become — there were ar tists, therapists, mediators, administrators, and friends. At that time, the notion of healing ar ts was not what it is today — its definition was being forged as the movement of the ar ts in healthcare was being forged; its relationship with the ar ts and the expressive therapies was being forged, and we were imagining how and what place Smith Center would hold in that emerging identity. We envisioned what a healing ar ts gallery or exhibition would look like and asked ourselves — who are these viewers of ar ts and healing? Are they the same group of people who go to any gallery or are they different? And if they are different, how so, and in what ways? This notion of the alchemical process really speaks to the whole field of ar ts and healing, as well as to this specific exhibition.

We must transform raw matter into gold, into something meaningful in the way we make ar t, view ar t, suppor t the ar ts, give and give back to the ar ts. We are in the midst of change as creative beings. We move through deep existential experiences that come into healing with life and healing with death – illness, aging, living, hoping, grieving, dying – healing the denial in our culture by being with people in their deepest places; to make ar t that speaks to these deepest places, that tries to transcend beauty, pain, life, death; to have vessels that are mirrors not only to the materials from which they are made, but mirrors to the kinesthetic process of living fully. Life is recalled, witnessed, shared, lived by all of us collectively as we face and confront the realities of what our life experiences actually bring to us.

How does this discussion relate to the Alchemical Vessels exhibit? It walks the full spectrum of possibility and the full spectrum of exchange, as each ar tist works alone in his or her studio, collectively holding the meaning of a shared vessel.

In the years since I first was involved with Smith Center, I have lost my mother, my father, and my husband to cancer. I have watched my ar t come forward, recede to the hinterlands, while feeling existentially adrift for long periods of time. Healing – what is it? In an acceptance speech for one of my late husband Gene Cohen’s awards, I decided that if couldn’t tell the truth to fellow ar ts-in-

healthcare people, then whom could I ever talk to? I dared to say this: What is it that really heals when enormous craters have plummeted into your hear t? What ar t form can return to us all that has been taken? How does creativity strengthen the broken? Grieving cer tainly feels broken. This is the truth of our experience – when everything slips away, the search is constant for what remains.

Gene died surrounded by music. Songs by our friends filled our living room where his weary body rested on the couch we called his nest; his friend of over 40 years, fellow father of geriatric psychiatry, playing music at our piano. His then 36-year-old son camped out for weeks in a sleeping bag beside him on the living room floor, just as he had done as a young boy. Well into the late hours of his last evening light, our then 15-year-old daughter’s piano reverie calmed him asleep. There is no beauty here, just truth. Creativity?

Healing? It is our only call, our hear t song to the inexplicable, where the ineffable silence reverberates somewhere in our hear ts.

Since his passing, I have not loved ar t nor wanted to be involved in community or collaboration. I guess the price I paid internally (psychophysically) for socializing in the outer world was too high. And yet when the call to work on this exhibition/benefit came, my whole system responded. Why? Alchemical Vessels made sense to me. Like hope, it made sense to come alive into this exhibit. The poet and ex-president of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel, says the following: “Hope is a dimension of the soul, and it’s not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation….Hope is definitely not the same as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”

This exhibit far surpasses anything that we dared hope to imagine – and it just makes sense that it would.

Wendy Miller Exhibit Curator, Ar tist, and Expressive Ar ts Therapist Kensington, MD

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“Prima Materia” The alchemical process is the transformation of matter. The basis of the process is the unique “prima materia”, the raw core material, which is then transformed into something precious and sublime.

For Alchemical Vessels, each of the par ticipating 125 ar tists were given as their “prima materia” a simple, pure white, empty ceramic bowl. The convex curve, integral to the bowl, inspired openness, awareness, reflection, and meditation by all of the ar tists. The ar tists, surrendering themselves to the bowl, allowed the object to become a catalyst for transformation, resulting in the creation of unique pieces of ar t, full of hope and endless possibilities, joy, healing, strength and self-discovery.

Many of the par ticipating ar tists typically work in two-dimensional mediums; the Alchemical Vessels exhibition was not only an oppor tunity to look inward to create impor tant work, but also an oppor tunity to challenge the ar tists creatively.

Some of the ar tists, upon bringing us their completed Alchemical Vessels, would remark that this was an incredible challenge for them. One of the ar tists mentioned that he lived with the bowl for weeks before beginning the transformative process that would eventually turn this simple ceramic bowl into an Alchemical Vessel. His unique approach to the project was not mirrored by any of the other ar tists, yet lies in perfect harmony among the 124 other works on display.

The various media and materials shown in the Exhibition are as diverse as the ar tists themselves: 24k gold leaf, handmade paper, fabric, acrylic, saliva, cruelty-free naturally molted peacock feathers, gouache, pumice, metal stars, ash, encaustic, thoughts, Chinese ink, foliage, red flocking, damar resin, wire, horse hair, Taos red willow branches, clay, bronze dust, a leather shoe, glass, tissue paper, sea shells, silkworm spun silk filament. The communication that takes place between the pieces in all of their diversity is of symphonic propor tion.

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renewal, healing, sexuality, exercise, purification, psilocybin/psychedelic therapy, aging parents, surviving, honor and remembrance, spiritual awareness, self identity, and a soul’s journey and the endurance of compassion and positive energy. By eliminating the function of the bowl with their craft, the ar tists have transformed the ceramic bowls from physical vessels to spiritual and metaphorical vessels; a space of holding for thoughts, fears, grief, pain – even happiness, joy, and pride.

Pamela H. Viola, literally represents the alchemical process by transforming rust into gold.

The alchemical colors, black, white, red and yellow are depicted in Kazaan Viveiros’ vessel with dots of each color along a forward path. The Workingman Collective honor the alchemist red with their piece Red created with red flocking. Rania Hassan utilizes the circular bowl with an interior triangular form consisting of materials from her last solo show symbolizing the transformation of self. The vessel is a reflection on how one creates an alchemical environment for healing in Francie Hester’s work; the exterior with its layering of lines provides protection to the inner sacred space. Kathryn McDonnell invited random par ticipants to under take a journey of letting go and allowing nature to take its course in a controlled action.

Where often times there are no words to describe our feelings, ar tists often serve as a catalyst with their creations. They create a visual language that is not only aesthetically delightful, but also invites us to go deeper within ourselves - to explore, grow and reawaken. But the ar t involved in this exhibition does not exist in a vacuum; it reflects the fears, anxieties, and desires of the ar tists. It reflects the personal experiences of the selected curators. It reflects the work and the healing that Smith Center for Healing and the Ar ts has facilitated throughout their many years as a beacon in the ar ts-as-healing community.

- Judy Sherman, Independent Curator and Owner, J Fine Ar t, Washington, DC & Anthony Palliparambil, Jr., Exhibitions Manager and Ar tist, Washington, DC

Alchemical Vessels Curators: Alec Simpson Annette Polan Bridget Lamber t Ellyn Weiss Felix Angel Helen Frederick John Paradiso Laila Jadallah Lenny Campello

Lillian Fitzgerald Margaret Boozer Mary Early Mel & Juanita Hardy Myr tis Bedolla Richard Dana Wendy Miller Brooke Seidelmann Shanti Norris

Alchemical Vessels Artists: Akili Ron Anderson Sondra Arkin Joanna Axtmann Rosana Azar Cedric Baker Carol Barsha Joan Belmar Kristina Bilonick Alan Binstock Emily Biondo Margaret Boozer Anne Bouie Elle Brande Laurie Breen Sally Brucker F. Lennox Campello Gloria Emanuele Capron David Carlson Mei Mei Chang Hsin-Hsi Chen Kay Chernush Natalie Cheung Irene Clouthier Joe Corcoran Tory Cowles Sheila Crider Joan Danziger Alonzo Davis Katie Dell Kaufman Elsabe Dixon Mary Early Cheryl Edwards Laura Elkins Kathy Emery Dorothy Fall Phoebe Farris Susan Finsen Lillian Fitzgerald Barbara Frank Helen Frederick Maya Freelon Asante Adrienne Gaither

Ric Garcia Matthew Gifford Olivier Giron Carol Brown Goldberg Susan Goldman Pat Goslee Elizabeth Graeber Drew Storm Graham John Grunwell Mar ta Luz Gutierrez William Harris Winston Harris Elyse Harrison Rania Hassan Francie Hester Ellen Hill Lisa Hill Tom Hill Laila Jadallah Pilar Jimenez Steven Jones Wayson R. Jones Becca Kallem Rebecca Kamen MJ Kavian Madeleine Keesing Erica Kempler Jeffrey Kent Micheline Klagsbrun Bridget Sue Lamber t Elaine Langerman Mary Virginia Langston Joren Lindholm Shelley Lowenstein Dana Jeri Maier Matthew Mann Kaltoum Maroufi-Colle Percy Mar tin Janet Mathias Kathryn McDonnell Maggie Michael Wendy Miller

Nan Montgomery Bill Newman Sarah Nikitopoulos Shanti Norris Jared Packard-Winkler Anthony Palliparambil, Jr. John Paradiso Natalya Borisovna Parris Brian Petro Michael Platt Darien Reece Jamea Richmond-Edwards Amber Robles-Gordon Jessica Rose Wendy Ross Rachel Rotenberg Louise Sagalyn Rachel Schmidt Greg Scott Pat Silber t Alec Simpson Susan Stacks Mar tin Swift Rob Tarbell Valerie Theberge Evelyn Tickle Erwin Timmers Novie Trump Aniekan Udofia Patricia Underwood Pamela Viola Kazaan Viveiros Sigrid Voller thun Tom Wagner Jenny Walton Ellyn Weiss Lee Wheeler Julie Wolfe Tom Wolff Workingman Collective Yuriko Yamaguchi Millicent Young Alchemical Vessels 13

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Sondra N. Arkin Chemical Composition shellac, ink, beeswax, damar resin, oil paint, copper, polyurethane My work focuses on what is in the air all around us. It may strike the viewer as organically familiar : corporeal, magnified a thousand-fold, or if not something corporeal, ethereal, somehow recognizable but not identifiable. It is a thin section of something we see everyday, but do not notice and cannot be named, something that we cannot quite reduce to its base chemicals. Like faith and love, it has an enigmatic quality that forces it to be taken at face value. For this Alchemical Vessel, I combined my vocabulary elements that focus most on connections: Circles both discreet for our individuality and connected as our communities. Lines that intersect as our loves bring us together and diverge as we move on; and Copper which conducts our empathy and reflects our humanity.

Akili Ron Anderson Gold Treatment Acrylic paint, beads and golden colored powder Healing is the space we feel and fill.

Anne Bouie A Moon Bowl Beads, botanicals Since time out of mind, the moon has held sway of the minds and spirits of humankind. The moon is the quintessential symbol of change and transmutation. The moon's power trumps technology; even day, a full moon or a bright crescent moon gives us pause. This bowl celebrates the four major phases of the moon, and can be used at each of the "cardinal phases: new moon, first quar ter waxing, last quar ter waning, and the full moon.Each phase of the moon carries its own energy and information; attunement to, and cooperating with these phases can enhance our lives, souls and spirits. The bowl can be filled with water, and then set out under its light; thereby infusing it with the qualities associated with each of the phases. This water may then be used for ceremony, ritual, and other practical uses in the daily life of its caretaker.

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Rosana Azar 125 Bowls, 125 Artists, 125 Brushes Acrylic paint, brushes and pearls The paint brushes that encircle this bowl represent the one hundred and twenty-five ar tists par ticipating in this exhibit. Â Each of these ar tists shares their unique gift with us. The pearls that surround the bowl represent the gifts and unique abilities of each ar tist. Within the center of the bowl rests a single pearl, representing the essence of creativity. Color and light swirl around it, creating a well of inspiration. The brushes drink from this well, finding inspiration and igniting their creativity!

Cedric Baker (Fantastic) Maiden Voyage Acrylic In doing my ar t I’ve worked with the idea of creating within a juxtaposition of opposites, I do figurative or representational work, as well as color field abstraction; and while doing both the need to express from within is paramount. In doing the vessel the same desire to accomplish a par ticular transformation from internal to external is what I look for and hopefully achieve. The possibilities of the creative process in healing is truly limitless.

Carol Barsha Beetlebung Farm Path Oil Paint For more then twenty-five years, I have painted for a few weeks every summer at Beetlebung Farm on Mar tha’s Vineyard, where my attention has turned to its fields and gardens, specifically, rows of plants and flowers and the fences that contain them.

To those who know and love it, Beetlebung Farm is a magical place and it has been par ticularly so for me, as I have had the oppor tunity to spend many hours working in its environs. There is a gentleness and generosity that manifests itself everywhere.

Although it is really a tiny farm, it represents to me a place of sanctuary, where I can disappear from the hubbub of the quotidian world. By creating my version of the farm in this vessel, anyone looking at it can also enter and be transformed for a moment.

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Kristina Bilonick eye miniature Mixed media on ceramic bowl I see the Alchemical Vessel as a por tal to the soul, and recently became fascinated by the collection of eye miniatures at the American Ar t Museum's Luce Foundation Center. These tiny 'eye por traits' were often embedded into ornate jewelry that was worn close to the chest by a lover or spouse. In some cases, the eye in the por trait might be of a mistress or otherwise forbidden love. I've found that especially intriguing and mysterious, and have used my vessel to play with those notions of longing and secrecy.

Joan Belmar Constellation (Blue) Acrylic, ink and gouache Recently, I have been drawn to maps, especially as I researched the Selknam people, who inhabited the southern region of my native Chile and who were exterminated in the last century. In the maps, I encountered symbols, colors, drawings, grids, dots and lines. These have inspired my new series of abstract paintings, the “Territories” series.

I create cer tain structures, but then I let the organic qualities of the acrylics, gouache and ink mix and move spontaneously on the canvas or paper. Metaphorically, they are in search of freedom in a structured world.

Alan Binstock Sunrise Entrance Glass, Resin, Light, Air, Clay (bowl) My challenge is to comprehend what it is (in me) that needs change. Do I star t and end at my body’s perimeter? Does the grand notion of who I think I am, lead me to a primal seed of consciousness? Or is it a primordial connection to all beings?

Or perhaps I am the “Tiny Prince” with aspirations to leap from planet to planet in search of all answers.

This is the quandary of alchemic (metamorphic) change. This is the idea that generated the three layered orbs made as much of light and emptiness as of solid matter. The meditation that others may see as a tool, or a reminder of the task, and yes the road we all share.

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Margaret Boozer Dirt Bowl (with pedestal) Stancill raw clay (Perryville, MD) I’m fascinated by the idea that alchemy inspired fervent pursuits by countless people for centuries, though they had no evidence of success.

I’m also fascinated that all that failure yielded amazingly valuable results. The creation of gold from base metal was never achieved, but we got great advancements in chemistry and modern medicine.

Both of these ideas have a great resonance for me as an ar tist trying to create ar t. I have to be prepared to have nothing to show for a day’s work except a big mess, and I have to believe that it’s still wor thwhile. I have to remember that a fervent pursuit of one thing is required to achieve something completely different. My job as an ar tist is to be aware of the transformation when it materializes, recognizing value that is separate from original desire.

This vessel is raw clay or dir t, compressed into bowl form. The clay is dug from Stancill’s mine in Perryville, MD where it sells it for industrial use at about $9 per ton. This bowl will disintegrate if you try to use it for anything functional.

If there’s alchemy here, it is in creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its par ts, and the real value is the intangible thing that binds them all together.

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Emily Biondo Sinew Chord Light Stream LEDs, electrical wire, rubber, latex paint, battery pack In as many ways as human interaction can cause hur t, damage, and emotional toll, I believe that it can cyclically heal as well.

Sinew Chord Light Stream describes this pattern—a relationship developing in winding memory, behavior, thought and speech. Each relationship interacts with others, casting light into their environments and affecting their development. Their interaction creates both tangled mess and beauty. It is static and moving, it is plastic and natural; it is complex. This sculpture depicts the enmeshing of interactions and its eventual light.

Natalya Borisovna Parris Alchemical Mystical Vessel for Reincarnation Acrylic The alchemist’s vessel is a spiritual symbol for the new beginning of life when the purple night with ambiguous dreams (symbolized by the mask) gives bir th to the sun under the music of brass horns. The horns chase away the darkness with blaring notes. Night gives way to day, but night is reincarnated as a butterfly that finds its blue morning flower. The red circle under the musk symbolizes the circle of life and hope, which are resurrected with the sun. The color red has double meaning – the beauty and blood. Blood symbolizes the stream of life and the river that purges away all sins and illnesses. The orange color in the vessel symbolizes the fire of the sun – heat, suffering and yet giving life and new beginnings. In the vessel the opposites are in balance – night and morning could not exist without another. They are all tied together in the circle of the bowl; the container in which the alchemist mixes the elixir of salvation and reincarnation.

David Carlson Intestinal Fortitude Acrylic on ceramic I kept thinking of phrases, mostly words that can invoke transformation. I was putting together mundane chants or mantras, a kind of ritual that can work within a psycho-somatic energy field. The abstract images are results of the play on words. It is powerful, this mind / body / creative connection and comes from an intuitive approach, one that assists other more direct forms of healing. After all we are not just the body.

Fire in the Belly Gut Feeling Orange Sinking Chi Immune System Dan Tien Elixir Internal Impermanence Alchemical Vessels 20

Laurie Breen Renewal Acrylic My bowl brings together multiple types of alchemy and suppor ts an environment of healing and joy. The image in my bowl represents renewal. The flowers rise and bloom above the grass, representing the transformation and rebir th that occurs each spring. The basic shapes and bright colors bring for th a feeling of simple joy. The composition is reminiscent of a mandala, welcoming relaxation and meditation. The stems of the flowers are arranged to draw the eye toward the middle of the bowl, helping the viewer feel centered. The viewer is imbued with a sense of happiness and peace.

While the images on the bowl may at first appear basic, upon closer examination, the underlying process is seen to be rich and nuanced. My ar tistic process is a journey of transformation, as I draw and paint, make marks, put down new layers over old, change directions and ultimately discover the piece. This history is visible in the final work, giving it a depth and complexity it would not otherwise have. It allows the viewer to connect on a deeper level with me, the ar tist, and with the ar t. Much like in our own lives we are the accumulation of the steps we take both right and wrong, it is the journey and the process which creates meaning. Understanding this journey and the challenges successfully overcome amplifies and enriches the feelings evoked by the final image--simplicity, peace and joy.

Sally Brucker Vessel I Watercolor, acrylic, paper-pulp My work as an ar t therapist, therapist, ar tist, therapeutic touch practitioner and Life-Cycle Celebrant draws from that ‘well’ where the body and spirit re-connect and healing begins. I see it often and yet, how to embody that in one vessel?

I decided to ‘let go’ and just see where my muse wanted to go with this. I lay a watercolor ground on the bowl and began to paint. Tangled branches, limbs, flowers and leaves appeared, as if by magic. It seemed right.

The hand is a paper pulp replica of my own hand. I guess I wanted to have ‘my hand ‘ in this! It is white, ghostly, perhaps conjuring something ‘other’, beyond human.

A bit of nature in the form of a branch adds to the alchemical ‘witch’s” brew. It seems right for now. It has a hand to heal and guide through the soft tangle of the natural world. It has a quiet to it that I quite like. It’s saying, “I will get you out of this mess, one tangle at a time and maybe, just maybe, there is some inherent meaning here, some kind of ‘truth’ ”.

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Gloria Emanuele Capron "Do Not Be Afraid"....To Play...

Acylic paint, gesso, wire, salvaged item from old jewelry "Do Not Be Afraid" are the healing words of my Lord....With life so hectic and demanding from family life and work complicated by the issues of adult children and aging parents in need these words alone bring comfor t and a soothing feeling of calm and peace...These words also allow the ar tist spirit in me to take time out and punctuate life with creativity and play thereby healing my own spirit...

Preparing my Alchemy Vessel allowed a time-out ar t break from life. I enjoyed taking time to play with materials to transform a simple container into a work of ar t for the benefit of others and as testimony to the joy of ar t......It’s a simple approach using the container as it was given to me. Healing Watery colors create a pond-like background for attached leaves (recycled antique jewelry). Having a chance to Slip my hands and fingers through the bucket of smooth cooling gesso to create the subtle watery texture on my container is pure joy. To mix the paints and find a soft palette to dabble paint and form multiple colorations is delightful...The act of choosing refreshing color actually refreshes me....Looking through old salvaged jewelry to find the right little treasure to adorn my container called to mind projects for future ar ts when the spirit moves again...

F. Lennox Campello The Secret Substance of Frida Kahlo Charcoal, graphite and conte on gesso Seldom has human history seen an ar tist so transformed by destiny, events and the agony of constant pain as Frida Kahlo.

When Kahlo's young body was nearly destroyed and re-arranged by a horrible accident in her youth, where the young ar t student was impaled on a handrail that pierced her vagina and emerged through her chest, her agony transformed her into another being who then proceeded to gift onto the world some of the most spectacular por traits of pain that we've ever seen.

The intense brutality of pain transformed Kahlo with the same intensity that a thermonuclear reaction transforms its surroundings. She became a being submerged in constant pain for the rest of her life, both physical (she underwent dozens of surgeries) and mental (she experienced many miscarriages and was never able to have a child). And that transformation was the catalyst the propelled her to paint her own image as a mirror of the pain in her life, and in the process to become one of history’s great ar tists.

In the process, Kahlo transformed all of us, as a little bit of her ar tistic alchemic powers infect all of us who become hypnotized by her por traits; the power of her gaze, the eloquence of her eye brows and the intensity of her face, all leave a little bit of the secret substance that changes ar tistic matter from the mundane to an aspiration to the sublime.

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Mei Mei Chang Untitled Low fire glaze There are connections between our internal symbols which stretch out to the external, transforming the invisible to visible, and the intangible to form. Uncovering an object beneath the surface is as discovering an object on the surface. Our minds occupy a space between the conscious and the subconscious; what is beneath the awareness of consciousness and beyond the passive knowing of subconsciousness, brings true awareness to life.

Hsin-Hsi Chen Invisible Maze Pencil, acrylic paint, paper, wood, ceramic

The complex paths in our lives are linked to each other in an unexpected way. Life is mysterious as if we are walking in a maze - interesting, challenging, complicating and confusing at the same time. When we're facing the difficulties or suffering the traumas, we always can find the connection of small things in our lives which will bring us hope and help us to find the solution to recover. They're tightly connected to each other and built into a large, strong but invisible power - they are also the suppor t in our lives, such as friends, families and communities which always be the impor tant par t to comfor t and heal our wounds.

Natalie Cheung Beginning Again Metal leafing and synthetic minature grass As an ar tist who has been accustomed to working almost exclusively in two-dimensional media, when I first received my blank alchemical vessel I felt somewhat intimidated. The bowl itself was much larger than what I had anticipated. I placed the bowl in my house where I would see it everyday and after mulling over what to do the vessel for a couple weeks it became less of a utilitarian object and more a blank island in need of a landscape. I star ted envisioning the bowl with its large flat surface area as the canvas for primordial soup. The finished vessel for me represents the beginnings of life, basic elements and growth the shapes of the materials creating a primitive map.

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Irene Clouthier Marble/canica Polyester resin, plastic beads and plastic cord My idea was to transform the original use of the vessel to some kind of Marble, marbles spin, they are made to be in movement, just like life itself, and that is power of transformation. Marbles are often collected for their colors, and the translucent beauty!

Joe Corcoran Balance of fire and water Blown glass, gilded ceramic bowl "Alchemists claimed that by achieving the perfect balance of fire and water it was possible to produce a chemical and spiritual reaction that was powerful enough to transform lead into gold."

Winston Harris Birds and the Bees: Acrylic paint/ Dry Point etching technique  This is my first time working with a ceramic medium. I was fascinated with the layering of colors and creating a glazing technique. By repeating this procedure, I was able to build up the surface and examine the abstract design used by mixing primary, secondary and combinations of hot, cool and ear th tone colors.

Once the painting process was completed, I continued by experimenting with an etching tool which allowed me to work through the surface layers in order to expose the colors that were built over the foundation. The etching tool served as a drawing instrument on the painted surface as I produced a nature environment or an interpretation of my Secret Garden Series. Symbolizing recognition to the annual cherry blossom season, accompanied with birds and bees as a renewal of life.

Designs within the bowl are also intended to interpret Mexican style pottery.Â

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Kay Chernush reFlects Mixed media (digital pigment prints on various papers, film, satin, wax and pigment powders) At first the bowl reminded me of the bathroom sink into which my hair fell, patterning emptiness and sorrow. Then it reminded me of my chest, a concavity.

During treatment for breast cancer after a double mastectomy, I envisioned my body bathed in light. Colored light. Dancing light.

Death-defying light. This is not surprising since as a photographer light shapes my way of seeing and is almost like a second skin.

After the chemotherapy ended, I discovered this ver y light in my neighborhood pool where I swam laps every morning to recover my strength. I didn’t think of it at the time, but the pool was like an alchemical vessel, a healing space in which I could reflect on the water rhythms, on the fluid dance between what lives on the surface and in the depth, on the ever-changing play between darkness and light.

Those changing patterns and textures enticed me into the dance. My process became one of transformation and exploration.

The outside of the bowl is covered with overlays taken from imager y of satin and lace, symbolizing dreams of restored beauty and possibility. The dream encircles and holds the light-refractions in the pool.

Bowl. Vessel. Circle. Whole.

Alonzo Davis "al-kimiya" (origin of the word chemistr y) Clay, bamboo, and mixed media Quite by chance the number of transformations the ar twork has undergone by my hand add up to thir teen, a figure of spiritual and ritual significance in many traditions: The ceramic bowl was glazed and fired. The center of the glazed interior was adorned with a copper leaf circle overlaid with a free form design in a blue patina. An iron oxide pattern covers the exterior. Dangling from the lower right hand corner of the black bamboo structure housing the finished ar twork is a clutch of eight symbolic objects. "al-kimiya" is an extension of my Precarious Containers series.

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Sheila Crider “Miracles” Acrylic, paper, sequins, plastic string

“Miracles”

(You Alone (Work) Miracles)

Joan Danziger Red Beetle Rising Wire, glass, acrylic paint Red beetle is rising out of the ear then bowl to greet the sun and to recreate into many forms by concealing and revealing its inner body structure. Its sunray-like projections of legs antennae and head protrusions serve as symbols of metaphors for human existence and renewal.

My creative process has always been involved in the idea of metamorphosis and transformation which has inspired my interest in the life cycle of beetles with their myths of rebir th and immor tality.

Elsabe Dixon Seri Vessel Silkworm spun silk filament, worm frass(droppings), latex, paper and silk cocoons We stand and point our cell phone cameras at ourselves; we can send pictures into the digital network at any time, but have forgotten how to look around us and see that which truly really exists.

Ar t cannot be effective if it no longer permits us to view nature as beautiful and seductive - despite the fact that nature is vanitas, a constant reminder that all things pass away.

Is ar t only a fraud and farce, a large operation of duplication to deceptively stage real life and imitate it as closely as possible? Can we still trust ar t? Shouldn't we perhaps only occupy ourselves with the truly real and natural?

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Katie Dell Kaufman In and Out of Nets Wax, powdered pigment, 22 carat gold leaf, fishing net, coconut bowl, found wood fish, ceramic bowl.

My vessel explores the process of 'internal' alchemy. The work reflects on the personal negotiations of the spirit, and psyche, as a fish going for th in the watery deep, swimming in and out of nets. It alludes to the many times in life when one feels lost, alone, or trapped.

In the close quar ters of those feelings, it is often hard to think in broader terms - that something, in fact, must be lost, released, or given up, for something else to become possible.

The dualities of freedom and restriction, of finding and losing, are necessary elements of life, just as ends are to beginnings, and as winters are to springs.

The gold interior space surrounding the fish is an analogy for personal transmutation and the enlightened perspective it may bring. The promise that, by creating a transformative crucible, by eliminating that which is not essential, clarity and illumination can reach us in those dark quar ters, and we find ourselves able to go for th, anew.

Cheryl D. Edwards The Omnipotent Mixed Media The great Egyptian adept king, named by the Greeks "Hermes Trismegistus" (1900 B.C.) is the founder of the ar t of alchemy.

The main documents attributed to him are the Emerald Tablet, the Asclepian Dialogues, and the Divine Pymander. The Emerald Tablet (Tabula Smaragdina) of Hermes is the primary document of alchemy. There have been various stories of the origin of the tract, one being that the original emerald slab upon which the precepts were said to be inscribed in Phoenician characters was discovered in the tomb of Hermes by Alexander the Great. In the Berne edition (1545) of the Summa Perfectionis, the Latin version is printed under the heading: “The Emerald Tables of Hermes the Thrice Great Concerning Chymistry.”

I used the energy of African Adinkra symbols and Orisha Yemaya to create my healing vessel. Adinkra symbols were created by Akan of Ghana and the Gyaman of Cote d’Ivoire. I used Nyame Ye Ohene “God is King”; Nsoromma “child of the heavens [stars]” and Gye Nyame “except for God”. The mirrors represent life and soul reflections. The blue in the center is indicative Orisha Yemaya, the element of water, and the creation goddess who also rules over healing.

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Laura Elkins Perilous Bowl Oil paint But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. II Timothy 3:1 Perilous Bowl is a work in miniature of Perilous Times, the latest evolution of my Studies in Domination. Imagine it as an architectural element -- an alchemical bowl become spacial vessel.

Lillian Fitzgerald Tribute Encaustic, thread and foil I would like to donate this work of ar t in memory of Karen Kiesel Beattie, who was my lifelong friend. Karen and I met as girl scouts, were best friends in high school and college roommates. My kids when they were young , considered her “the family best friend.” She had a doctorate in psychology and was well known for her psycho-educational work with children. She was lovely, funny and incredibly suppor tive of me in every stage of my life. Karen died last summer after an eight year battle with cancer and is missed by everyone who knew her.

Helen Frederick Water Gives Life Sprayed paper pulp and collage The life of water is por trayed as the alchemical theme of my bowl. By using the elements of sprayed water filled paper pulp into the bowl to create my image, I enjoyed thinking about how often liquids suppor t our body and soul. A functional object is so satisfying, as an object of ar t, and provider of sustenance. The bowl provides us all this nourishment of food and poetry, both when it is full and empty. What more could we ask? Sometimes a special object also falls into the bowl like the tiny wing you see here.

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Kathy Emery Healing Hands Acrylic paint, gold leaf, mirror, steel wire old and new, wire mesh, found barbed wire, hog clips, newspaper, gauze, gold spray paint, paper mâché , treble fish hook Cancer does not discriminate, it snags and entangles everyone of us in some manner.

Treble fish hooks are used for snagging things, barbed wire is a danger in which to get insnared. Neither of these discriminates whom it catches in their deadly barbs.

The outside of the bowl is painted with Alchemical Symbols in gold and black rimmed with real gold leaf, black representing onyx. Inside the bowl is painted with Micaceous Iron Oxide to which a broken mirror is adhered. Looking into the bowl it can be said that you are looking at a potential victim of cancer, yourself with the barbed wire swirling over your head. The bowl has a deep vast feel that could be easy to sink into if you let yourself. Golden hands are the hands representing the Smith Center and other healers that come to help patients. The hands are hanging onto the barbed wire and fighting their way through all of the barriers to come to the rescue.

The various pieces that make up this bowl are done in metals or minerals except for the mirror which is glass.

It is an interactive piece but with hope that we will not become a patient!

Dorothy Fall Sun and Moon Handmade paper Working with handmade paper is like alchemy. The pigment is attached to the paper pulp through alchemical substances added to the water which suspends the pulp. This work is made entirely of paper. The tiny grains of pulp are changed into my hermetic vessel which transforms. It begins with black matter and evolves as it emerges from the golden opening. The tree of life intersects the vessel. Attached to the branches are the sun and the moon, the two opposites of our life on Ear th.

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Maya Freelon Asante Weightlessness Tissue paper and ceramic bowl Let go with me!

Make room for Joy The Weightlessness of Forgiveness Seeks Peace With Love

Barbara Frank Under Water Over Dreams Mixed Media: graphite, water color, gouache, fluid acrylic, wax varnish, curly willow branches This bowl is alchemy – moist ear then clay turned into dried fired form; an idea, with the help of the ar tist’s fingers, transmuted into image and meaning. The par tnerships come to life when light shines.

Thanks to Allan Woods Flowers and All Fired Up DC

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Ric Garcia Canto y Llanto (Cheers and Tears) Acrylic paint on ear thenware with non-yellowing acrylic clear coat.

The power of social alchemy is a diverse transformative force. One of its' many expressions can be explored as an idea that life is a cycle of beginnings and endings. This idea is traditionally represented as the cycle of life and death.

My alchemical vessel is titled “Canto y Llanto” (Cheers and Tears) and presents an idea of harmonious opposites with imager y inspired by Mexican illustrator and ar tist Jose Posada.

He is best know for his “calaveras” which are often associated with the day of the dead festival known as “Dia de los Muer tos.”

The vessel is inscribed with "La vida es un camino de canto y llanto" (Life is a path of cheers and tears) which frames a pair of figures, one female the second male. The female represents life and the male death. The vessel is designed to be viewed from more than one angle and it’s colors recall Athenian red figure ceramics.

Adrienne Gaither Centric Ceramic bowl with glaze Tree rings and the transformation that takes place within them inspired my alchemical vessel. During the life cycle of a tree, concentric rings form to mark the age, the health of a tree and the environment in which it dwells. As the life cycle of a tree matures, the rings grow closer and vary in size creating more complexity/character, depending on the circumstances of the environment. Meaning, this growth process continues even in ill-favored environments etc. Akin to the tree rings, the spiral in my alchemical vessel creates a story of personal growth and represents the process of coming to the same point again and again, but at a different level, so that everything is seen in a new light.

On my journey to healing, I find it impor tant to remain open and flexible with a new perspective, even when I am faced with adversity. I used red shapes and lines in my alchemical vessel to symbolize the challenges and that become the catalyst for transformation. Equating to tree rings, the shapes and lines in my design discuss the pattern of energy that influences my environment and shape my healing process.

Like the tree and its rings, I aspire to remain whole and continuously grow no matter the circumstances of my environment. My alchemical vessel was not only a journey to understand why tree rings were my inspiration, but for me to discover the journey it takes to find peace within.

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Susan J. Goldman Open Blossom Ceramic glaze on bowl In my own work I explore vessel images and flowers. Flowers represent many significant meanings throughout every culture in the world. The flower represents the feminine. The blossom like a receptacle, is referred to as the “cup” of the flower. I par ticularly relate to how the Buddhist perspective compares a flower to the transitory nature of the human body.

Flowers unique in their beauty and aroma offer spiritual and physical relief. They honor the ordinary and extraordinary moments in daily life. Looking into the center of a blossom, one becomes aware of its unique structure and beauty. Like looking deep into ourselves, especially during times of personal healing, we witness transitory moments of creative mastery, mystery, and strength, as we recognize the fragile quality our lives.

Through our center, opening fully, we can experience an ability to face our fears, helping us to move through the next stage of our lives.

Carol Brown Goldberg Seeing Through Time Mosaic, glass, mirror, stones Today, I look down into the alchemical vessel of reflection.

Light bounces off tiny mirror cuts, mosaic shapes, stones, and incisions of glass. I remember being held in the arms of my older brother while he and my father talked the language of business in my father’s jewelry store. I leaned over the counter to get a better look into his showcase which was filled from edge to edge with glittering golds, shimmering reds, clear reflective carvings, detailed facets.

Sometimes my brother would ask, ‘What do you see? And What do you like best.’

I think I took a long time to answer….I did not know then the words for flying and laughter and freedom and excitement and noiseless joy…. …but now the feelings return as I peer into this bowl and the alchemy of memory spirals me back into the past when beauty and complexity and peace were the same force.

William Harris For Roz And Mom Turned plywood and oak (varnish and wax) I lost my wife Rosalind to Breast Cancer in 1991, leaving me with two sons to raise without her by my side. Their ages at the time 13 and 6 - ( Dinari and Dominic). They are both grown men now and she would be very proud. I have recently experienced my 92 year old mother having been diagnosed with breast cancer. The notion of her going through chemotherapy and radiation, at this juncture in her life, is frightening. I have often used the "breast" as a symbol for women in my sculpture and my curiosity and admiration for the opposite sex. I continue to use it here in the hope that It will be a constant reminder and a perfect symbol and source of strength in my wish for the healing process to be afforded all women against this terrible disease.

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Pat Goslee Fierce Grace Unglazed ceramic bowl with metal clips and spring Maybe it’s like the philosopher says.

Maybe we are the abyss, as well as the tightrope above it.­­­­ This vessel is empty, raw, rough and unfinished, uncomfor table to the touch.

But in that very simple state is a sense of simply being.

So maybe it’s just like Nietzsche describes— Or maybe it’s just a bridge from ordinary human to ordinary human; a bridge where opposite views come together, where a glimmer of togetherness can be found in our aloneness.

Maybe it’s a link from conscious mind to unconscious mind; a route from all of our myriad par ts to our wholeness.

Maybe it’s the left side of the brain speaking to the right.

Maybe it’s forgiveness that allows us to bend deeply into the bowl from a spiraling path, a path that leads away from selfpunishment toward self-acceptance.

Maybe the bowl isn’t empty, but full.

Elizabeth Graeber Face Paint I see my images as an uplifting image to bring joy.

Drew Storm Graham The Spark of Rebellion Airbrush The exterior of the vessel is plagued with a green affliction proliferating through to the interior. However, a white light radiating from the center begins to diminish its existence.

Like a nuclear explosion it terminates anything within its path.

This light is the beginning of a rebellion, the bir th of hope and determination, and the fight to relinquish foreign intrusion.

Survival is within the genetic code of the human spirit, coupled with the power of will, the mind knows no bounds and can overcome any obstacle.

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Elle Brande Vitrification Porcelain, feather, graphite Take into consideration the nature of two materials, a feather and porcelain. The feather is light, soft to the touch, it brings to mind weightlessness and flight. Porcelain on the other hand is dense, hard and comes from the ear th. The contrast between these two materials seems vast.

Vitrification is characteristic for amorphous materials and occurs when bonding between elementary par ticles becomes higher than a cer tain threshold value. In a wider sense, the embedding of material in a glassy matrix is also called vitrification. My work combines craft materials with clay resulting in a new hybrid specimen with the characteristics of both materials.

When the feather passes over the threshold of the vessel it becomes hardened, vitrified, more dense. Though it would seem this is a magnificent leap, it is alchemy that already exists.

The ceramic process is about forcing materials to change their physical state by undergoing heat, stress and time. The idea that a vessel is capable of such a drastic change from one material to another is indeed magical, and it has been happening for centuries.

Joanna Axtmann Earth Spiral mixed media/pottery (acrylic, paper, bronze wire, bronze dust, light) When invited to exhibit in the Alchemical Vessel Event, I think - I want to smash the vessel and put it back together to change it and make it truly my own…..

I see the pure, pure white bowl and think - too flat - I really need to smash this to give it life and dimension.

First, I decide to try out the smashing par t on other pottery. I break up a plate and put it together in various ways - creating three smaller vessels.

I decide to paint the flat pure whiteness of the big bowl before smashing. As I paint blues and gold/bronze heaven and ear th emerge. An armature for a smaller vessel becomes a spiral that when mounted in the big bowl creates light and dimension – no longer white, nor flat, nor pure.

Now “Ear th Spiral” has several offspring in my studio as I continue to create vessels – made of pottery fragments, and of paper, metal mesh, painted – ice, ear th, flesh, water………

Thanks for the inspiration leading to the alchemical, mysterious process by which these vessels are coming to be.

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Elyse Harrison “The Balloon and The Flower,” from Painted Fables Paper, wooden box, string I have been working on a book of fables for the past two years and felt one of the stories would be a perfect contribution to Alchemical Vessels. “The Balloon and The Flower” is the story of a fallen and forgotten flower lying on the ground in a lush garden. More than anything, she wants to rise above her limited circumstance and finds inspiration in a balloon that passes overhead. The story speaks to life’s unexpected challenges and how sometimes through the strength of others we recognize the strength within ourselves.

Rania Hassan Fi[b]re of Rotation Paint and fiber The alchemical symbol of a circle with a triangle inside represents 'Fire of Rotation.' The circle is formed by the raw ceramic bowl, and within the silvered gold center lies a triangular piece of fiber, made of bits and pieces of cocoons, knitted fibers, and the finest metal threads. All of these pieces are made from elements that formed a par t of the creation of my recent solo show. This piece is about fire within, and transforming yourself and others through ar twork.

Francie Hester The Nest Acrylic, paint pens and wax The transformative nature of healing is uniquely personal.

The healing process begins with a sense of sacred space to transform one’s feelings of darkness to light. This vessel is my reflection on how one creates an alchemical environment for healing – the colors move from dark to light, radiating from the center outward. The exterior is a layering of line upon line to give the sense of a woven nest that protects the inner sacred space.

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Ellen Hill Rose Vessel Acrylic, carved birch, handmade paper, beads The rose has been associated with the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Greek and Roman goddesses Aphrodite and Venus.

In Christianity, the rose is a sign of Mary, Mother of God, the vessel that brought the divine and flesh together as human.

To me, the rose is a symbol of love, beauty, joy, nur turing, and growth.

Lisa Hill Iterative Daughter Cells Unglazed bisque ware ceramic bowl, with handmade paper (pigmented raw flax) Iterative Daughter Cells looks into a macro corporeal world of regeneration. Cell division is essential to reproduction to repair the body and the mind and help us grow. It is about strength and vulnerabilities that are lovely and disquieting.

Cradled in a pure white vessel that plays host to cell-like structures we wonder what passes from one generation to another, and what is yet to emerge as daughter cells form and split from mother cells.

Steven Jones Chicken and the Egg and the Artist Clay aluminum and glass I still really do not understand how the chicken dinner comes from the egg. The egg is dinner. Chicken is dinner. Chickens imprint on me and follow me around. They think they are humans. I see myself in their actions. I peck around the studio. They peck around the studio. I misplace my tools. They loose their water. I think I am more like the chickens then the chickens are like me.

Maybe I came from a chicken egg.

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Laila Jadallah The Endless Connection of Triangle Geometr y Spray paint, Sharpie paint pens

Triangles are known to have remarkable proper ties as geometric objects, inexhaustible in proper ties. To be something so small in scale, and stand alone, yet have the ability to attach to create larger shapes and forms, such as the circular shape of this bowl/vessel, is what draws me to them. The design of the triangles within the bowl, came out of my own practice to draw triangles to create these branches of connection, as a calming and consciousness practice. They represent the ability of oneself to connect them the self, to others and to a higher being, with the open space for future connections and consciousness.

Pilar Jimenez Sanctuar y Stones and craft material on ceramic Alchemy, the transformation of simple materials into gold, was considered in the middle Ages as a metaphor to describe the transformation from an impure, sick, corruptible and ephemeral state into a pure, healthy, incorruptible and eternal one. Therefore, the Philosophers’ Stone was the representation of the mystical key or belief that would allow such transformation.

Through the KITCH ar t movement I decided to por tray my vision of the Latin American culture I was raised in, specifically Colombia where I grew up, and recreate this perspective of alchemy through the adoration and cult component of religion.

A culture full of color, visual impact, passion, redemption, guilt, punishment and faith and adoration to religious figures becomes the Philosopher’s Stone in the path of transformation. I show my vision about the magic and warmth that this culture recreates around the need for salvation and eternity.

Erica Kempler Regeneration Plaster and acrylic paint My Alchemical Vessel is about regeneration. An octopus has the ability to hide and regenerate when attacked. When a predator attacks an octopus, it has the capacity to detach its limbs, which then regenerate within a few weeks. Much like cancer and other life altering diseases, the octopus’ detached limb cause discomfor t and make simple tasks more complex.

If we are to think of this sor t of regeneration as a circumstance that empowers a change from within rather than a means to an end, then we can continue to survive among the chaos.

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Wayson R. Jones Transmutation Acr ylic, acr ylic, pumice gel, acr ylic medium, glitter, and gesso Using the traditional colors of mourning—black in some Western tradition—and spirituality—white in some West African cultures, this vessel symbolizes reconciliation, transition, and spiritual awareness. Reconciliation of sadness and joy can occur when we allow ouselves to grieve authentically, to go beyond notions of losing or winning, “closure,” or conformance with expected behavioral norms. Transition is inevitable; the physical body will end. Whether that ending results in transition to a spiritual existence or to nothingness, both belief modes are honored here. Spiritual awareness, in the context of this work, entails a rejection of attempts to medicalize and pathologize grief (as recently put for th by the American Psychiatric Association). Instead, it celebrates the power of simple acceptance, and recognizes the value of human emotion not bound into rigid categories of “positive” or “negative.” The black may be somber, but it shines with reflected light (that's the gloss medium). The white may be stark, but the edges hold glints and sparkles (glitter!).

Becca Kallem Pleach Ceramic pencil and clear glaze For me this vessel is alchemical in that the making of it transformed my state of mind. Observing and drawing complex things stills my mind, like meditation. I felt peaceful, centered, and relaxed as I looked out the studio window at the dense, almost-budding branches of a tree. The tree itself, of course, is very symbolic: the change and renewal of seasons, the interdependence of the small and the large, the visible and the hidden.

Bridget Sue Lambert be vulnerable with those you love Found object and synlawn When you are willing to live with an open hear t your soul shines brightly and all those around you will feel it. Connect with your soul, live for a bigger reason than yourself and when you know who you truly are, you become authentically sexy.

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Rebecca Kamen Orbital Alchemy Acrylic and graphite on mylar, fiberglass rods This vessel represents a conduit between the micro and macro world of healing. Atomic orbital patterns and their potential for healing on the quantum level are the inspiration for this bowl. True healing alchemy can occur if one is open and receptive to the powerful bridge betweenthese two healing worlds.

MJ Kavian wishing bowl Spray painted, with leather and beads Turning white into brown Some leather and beads to a crown I wish I could give as much love as Rume says To turn all the chests into vats of wine.

Madeleine Keesing Rethinking Acrylic Cancer makes you rethink everything. It is a time of challenge, a time to consider doing everything differently. It is a time of great unexpected growth.

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Pheobe Farris Kekewh Asasqueth (Alive Clay) Mixed media/sea shells This project is exciting for me because I am exploring a medium outside of my usual discipline, documentary photography. Rather than transferring one of my images onto the bowl I opted to create something that involved minimal technology,was more hands on, and felt healing for me, accessing my inner ar t therapy persona.

I chose sea shells to decorate my vessel because of the healing powers of ocean water and sea salt, the healing force of walking/running barefoot on sand/ear th,the soothing effects of the subtle sounds we can hear cupping shells to our ears, and the aesthetic qualities of sea shell patterns.

Shell imagery inspires me because of my Powhatan-Pamunkey heritage.We are a mid-Atlantic people and our ancestors and nor thern Algonquin cousins decorated their bodies with pearl necklaces, clam shells, and other objects from nature.These adornment traditions continue.

Many of these shells are from southern New Jersey beaches (Absegami) which were heavily impacted by hurricane Sandy and are suffering erosion from climate change. As the beaches erode there will be fewer shells for adornment and less sand for walking and running barefoot. I hope this rugged shell covered vessel reminds others of nature's healing powers for the body and mind.

Susan Finsen Here you are Yourself.

And then, gradually, suddenly, surprisingly, frighteningly, You are not.

Clay, wire, paper, ink, mesh, acrylic Here you are, yourself.

And then, gradually-suddenly-surprisingly-frighteningly, You are not.

My mother has Alzheimers.

My siblings and I have it with her.

We work together to understand what’s happening and make decisions to keep her safe and happy as her ability to do this for herself declines. We live in a world of consultations, networking, planning, problem solving, financial management, and creating new family experiences before it is too late. I am immersed in these activities, and hold my emotions at bay. The Alchemical Vessel project changed that.

I had no clue what to make. So I made lists and worried about what to do next. The Smith Center briefing triggered ideas, but it was at dinner afterward, with four par ticipating ar tists, that things jelled. We shared experiences about aging parents with life-altering health issues, and we joked about being an Alchemical Vessel, the five of us, offering suppor t to each other.

By the time I got home I knew my project would be about my mother. What I didn’t yet know was that while I worked through translating the swirl of ideas, words, and questions into three-dimensions, it would also become about me – my own Alchemical Vessel.

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Jeffrey Kent Hyper-transmutational Acrylic, gold leaf, metallic confetti, love, care I truly believe that there is a positive to every negative. In both my life, and my practice as an ar tist, this has always held true.

The alchemical vessel that I have created is another example of this philosophy. Upon receiving the ceramic bowl, I noticed a crack; and in the realm of Dadaism, specifically ar tist such as Marcel Duchamp, in reclaiming materials, the crack suddenly informed the readymade, instinctual, deconstructive/ constructive process.

I decided to give the vessel it’s own sacredness as a piece of ar t, not just as an ordinary object. This transformed, alchemical vessel now has a new dialogue as a broken vessel with aesthetic value. The function and idea of the bowl have both come into debate as well. Thus, bringing us back to the historic question, “What is Ar t?”

At the same time, this alchemical vessel is still sacred because the transmutation is coming from within me, my creative spirit, all beginning with a seemingly unimpor tant crack. Not only does this demonstrate the sacredness of the ar t process, it also promotes enjoying life, and how the honesty that is shared through the creative process is a way to communion and healing.

Micheline Klagsbrun Other Galaxies Mixed media on ceramic bowl The theme of metamorphosis has been my inspiration throughout my life as an ar tist. I have worked for decades with Ovid’s Metamorphoses at my side, so I approached with enthusiasm the idea of an Alchemical Vessel, something that might have some transformative effect on the person holding and looking into it.

Darkness concentrates in the exterior of the bowl, a midnight sky, starless.

Within the vessel, light fills the depths of the sky, making it infinite, and traces of golden galaxies appear.

Maybe the vessel is also a sailing vessel, on a voyage of discovery, an inner voyage steering by new continents and constellations.

Light is concentrated in the hear t of the bowl. This is the core of the transformation and also reflects, in odd ways, the viewer.

Alchemy is the reflection of a new self, the discovery of the precious within.

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Elaine Langerman Bird Song Fake fabric flowers, acrylic paint, ribbon, glue, pre-made butterfly, bird, eggs and nest.

Fresh from the bitter cold of Winter, warm and gentle Spring breezes play over our land. Mommy bird guards and warms her new eggs. The new life within slowly evolves toward bir th and then joyful flight. This we contemplate as we ourselves ineludibly grow and evolve in continuous transformation.

Eternal return.

Mary Virginia Langston Dime Store Vessel Caran d'arche water soluble crayons, oil pastel, tea stain

Shanti did a meditation to close the panel on the ar t of transformation--alchemical vessels. At the end of the meditation, the image of the small vase I saw in a five and dime store as a child appeared. There were rows of 3.5 "high white ceramic vases up on a shelf that were swirled in a vat of many colors after they were purchased. A much more immediate transformation than the one we pursue in a life time, but one that remains for me as par t of that mystery which was presented to a 5 year old, the beginning vision.

In memory of Marilyn, Binnie, Carole, and Proctor

Marta Luz Gutierrez Inner Beast Molding paste, oil paint Inner Beast with Joy In a non-stick shielded vessel, mix: Raw honesty, A bunch of generosity, A pinch of lightness.

Beat all that up, sprinkle some humor, and Release into the wild.

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Joren Lindholm The Youngest Continue the Process Mixed media and collage This alchemical vessel is intended to acknowledge epic transformation. One a personal level, it represents the process of passing through confusion into the materialization of true, self-validating desires. I believe one of the negative inspirations (or darkness) behind this adversity is the deformation of authenticity/identity/tradition, possibly given by the slanting of historical contexts inside a globalized melee.

The clarity I brought to this vessel's production did not include how it was to look. The resulting appearance is given largely by the materials I chose to work with, and the procedural sequence. Never theless, I knew that I wanted to make its representations pretty straightforward, especially in regard to the color selections.

My path to create the vessel incorporated a period or research, followed by some reflection and a full day in the studio. The sequence of my execution simply went from doing the collage to doing the effects and scarification, which was followed by the circumferential painting. At the end I chose to scrap the very first move, which was a sculptural bit I initially placed inside the vessel at the very middle.

I dedicate this piece to my father who lives his latter years in high spirits, amidst complications of Waldenstrom’s disease a rare blood cancer.

Kathryn McDonnell Collaborate Glaze ceramic My goal is to use this vessel to transform and purify aspects of the suffering that we collectively experience. This vessel seeks to draw a connection between individuals and the larger group or collective that they can belong to. The form, a circle, refers to the individual and the group. The firing of the vessel is the transformation of an impermanent mark to a permanent lasting gesture. This vessel is the ar tifact of a collaborative work, where random par ticipants created their own ar t. Each person dripped sumi ink directly onto rice paper. Using gravity as the sole means of drawing, the rice paper was stained by each person’s mark. Each par ticipant was asked to let go of personal objectives and let the natural force of gravity do the work. For many, this simple gesture of letting go and letting nature take its course in a controlled action: drip, drip, drip - was an opening or entry to an unexpressed aspect of the self. And the accumulation of drips from the many par ticipants created unique works of ink drawings. The ink drawings were transformed into ceramic decals using Adobe Photoshop; applied to the vessel and fired in a kiln. The decals were transformed from black to a reddish ochre hue after being fired in a kiln.

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Dana Jeri Maier The Cancer Emails Ink and mixed media “Truthfulness itself is almost medication, even when it’s served without advice or insight.”

-Augusten Burroughs, This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike.

My vessel is adorned with a selection of images and text based on emails from a close relative who was diagnosed with a chronic form of cancer fifteen years ago, and has been in and out of remission since. His writing describes various aspects of what it's like to be consistently medicated, the more universal of which I used as illustrations.

From my vantage point, incorporating storytelling was the best way for me to transform the vessel into an alchemical healing object. I wanted to give viewers very specific instances of what it means to be ill in a way that was honest and conversational, while the drawings accompanying the text are intentionally vague--the characters are meant to be abstract enough to apply to anyone. The result is a stream-of-conscious kind of story, one that provides snippets of someone else's daily experience with a life-changing disease.

Matthew Mann Bowl of Foliage Oil on ceramic bowl The “Bowl of Foliage” vessel that I made as par t of the Alchemical Vessels project is an extension of some ongoing preoccupations in the studio. The bowl’s shape, however, provided an interesting oppor tunity to try things that weren’t able to fit into the context of painting on canvas. The shape also offered an interesting line of inquiry into the idea of interiority and exteriority. This notion of inside/outside also touches one of my favorite perceptual paradoxes, that is, being observant of something inside of which the viewer resides, placing the gaze onto something which contains it.

The vessel’s outer convex curve offers an oppor tunity to engage this idea. This shape suggesting an openness, an expansiveness that the landscape depicted on its surface contracts in turn by directing the gaze back onto the surface and toward the base of the bowl to a distant tree line. The concave interior of the bowl compelled me to push outward from the inward pressure of the shape using vignetted landscapes as though viewed through an enormous mass of foliage. I have been wanting to use vignettes for a quite a while and couldn’t rationalize how to do it before now.

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Janet Mathias Taos Shaman Collaged canvas and paper, acrylic, pencil, Taos red willow branches My vessel is a ritual space. It holds the experience of a shaman, through which the energy of a beautiful wolf and about twenty masked spirits are personified and channeled from unconscious to consciousness.

The collage-making process became a soothing, meditative act of mark-making, and an unfolding of colors that eventually covered the white ceramic bisque.

I collected the branches on a hike just two weeks before completing the project. The English name Taos derives from native Taos dialect meaning "place of red willows". As objects incorporated into the alchemical vessel, they signify growth and extend the shaman’s psychic reach. Moreover, they are a personal, literal reference to the most recent of my transformative journeys to New Mexico over the past 15 years.

Upon unpacking the bundle, their natural fragrance permeated my studio and activated a symbolic charge.

Wendy Ross An Alchemist’s Dream Casting wax and mixed media

The conceptual theme for this vessel is transformation and the emergence of hope from the depths of chaos and darkness.

My choice of a mutable material, wax, speaks to duality and transition from one state into another. Here physical realities and the ethereal merge and boundaries blur. It manifests as an inscape of consciousness bound within a body alluding to ascent as well as descent, darkness to light, inner and outer, from shelter to tomb and pathos, death, decay and rebir th. The wounds of the body temper and form the growth of the soul.

Duality, represented by the chthonic serpent coiling towards its lethal hook, lurks as a shadow to the uninitiated who do not understand its ability to heal as well as destroy.

Here the golden reed spirals upward, the ear th entombs and comfor ts the dark traumas of a soul and light enters the etheric body…..

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Psalm 139:12

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Bill Newman Ourobouros Clay and glaze I describe this as an indeterminate object, it signals the continuous cycle of natural life which has many stages of generations and destruction but no beginning and no end; “Ourobouros” referencing the ancient symbol of the snake eating its own tail, a symbol that stands for eternity, and regeneration from destruction. The Ourobouros has appeared in many different civilizations and religions; it is a symbol that transcends its own context.The serpentine shape has been simplified here, what is left is pure motion, reflected in the smooth surface of the piece, and it’s curved towards itself. Like the source materials this bowl moves through many stages being transformed by modern alchemy. The edge of the sea holds the world and contains the universe.

Percy Martin Bushmen's prayer bowl Watercolor The bushmen’s prayer bowl is a vital par t of the bushmen’s rituals. When a bushman or woman becomes sick or is ready for renewal, Nova, the high priestess goes to the spring at Lake Mar and gets water for the bowl. The bowl is placed at the entrance of the meeting hall so that all who enter can wash their hands before they proceed to prayer circle and meditate.

After a time of silence an elder will star t the meeting by giving a prayer for the sick person. Individuals who knew the person stand and offer a prayer. Then the group will offer a group prayer that consists of chants and songs.

At the end of the ceremony the bush women who can turn into birds will take the prayers and fly to St. Mar. The elder will wash their hands for the second time. The rest of the group will join him and all will leave the ceremonial area.

Nan Montgomery Cycles Acrylic paint on unglazed, pre-fired ceramic bowl A bowl can be seen as a metaphor. It's curved sides open up gently to receive all positive things; love, hope, acceptance and nourishment. Ear ths cycles, spring, summer, fall and winter, are circular as in life's cycles. In painting the bowl I tried to convey a feeling of coming to terms with one of life's challenges.

The red line which encircles the outer bowl represents the pain of dealing with an illness. Inside the bowl, the lighter shade of blue is more peaceful encircled by a band of silver. In the center, the eye moves down to an image which could be a sun, a star or a flower. All affirming life forms, the viewer comes to his or her own center for inner peace.

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Kaltoum Maroufi-Colle Mirror Acrylic paints My alchemical vessel is a representation of the common woman struggling with the fatal disease of cancer. Woman’s most common form of this sickness, breast cancer, has destroyed women’s lives, spirits and self-images. This vessel acts as a mirror of a woman, who although sick and maybe no longer physically attractive, still sees herself as a genuinely beautiful woman. For her, surviving this disease has brought the smile back to her face and she will forever be proud of her great feat. She stands before her reflection, wearing her light pink scarf, the symbolic color of breast cancer, unashamed of having it be known that she has survived and is now in recovery. This vessel which also represents the ar t of transformation, additionally exemplifies the gigantic changes that women undergo in their time of sickness.

However, these changes, although difficult, result in a beneficial effect in which these surviving women have a newfound appreciation of their lives. From weak sickly humans, they evolve into fierce forces of nature who have received a second chance to transform their lives and have somewhat of a rebir th. Blessed with these second chances to recount their tales of struggle and survival, these women are our modern day heroes.

Shanti Norris Shell Grotto Porcelain bowl, seashells, beads, pearls, mirror, grout I’ve always been fascinated by grottos – room-like caves that serve as altars that bring me close to the ear th and close to myself. I see them as places for inner work - they make room for me to reflect in a way that is new and unusual. Alchemy is about transforming base metal into gold – or transforming suffering into meaning. It is about healing and wholeness. On a personal level that requires introspection. The mirrors represent seeing ourselves in a new way - seeing oneself as one truly is. Finding truth not outside, but within oneself. I believe healing comes from the mother – the feminine – la mer – the sea. And the seashells reflect this feminine aspect that is essential as suppor t, encouragement and nourishment for the hero/heroines arduous journey of discovery. Recent research suggests that cancer patients who have a women as par t of their core ‘healing team (doctor, nurse, family member or friend) have better outcomes than those who do not. And fire is at the center of the crucible, so the central shell represents the flame burning away what is unwanted, to reveal the pearlescent purity within.

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Jared Packard-Winkler Goated Acrylic and graphite In early Christian ar t the symbol of the goat was used to distinguish the sinners from the righteous; to separate the eternally damned from those granted immor tality in heaven.

Juxtaposing this esoteric yet significant symbol with the total banality of the uncharismatic creature produces a humorous contrast. This comparison mirrors the mystique surrounding the magic of alchemy when placed aside the cold logic of science. But somewhere in those rectangular pupils and elongated face of this mundane critter lies an uncanny affirmation of the mysterious beyond.

Anthony Palliparambil, Jr. Amma (Mother) Pumice, aerosol & acrylic paint A pervasive image in the Indian culture, elephants are powerful animals whose awe-inspiring strength and fierce loyalty struck a chord with me following the recent passing of my maternal grandmother.

When I first learned of an elephant’s intense devotion to its family I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sameness with these great creatures. With over 100 aunts, uncles, and first cousins, I have lived with my family in a similar fashion to how a group of elephants raise their young, defend one other, and finally mourn the loss of loved ones.

Sarah Nikitopoulos Geode Dir t, iron oxide, sand, acr ylic gel medium, table salt As a ceramic ar tist the concept of alchemy plays a significant role in my work. I have always been fascinated with geologic processes and the transformation of materials. This has led me to focus on glaze chemistr y and more specifically, cr ystalline glazes.

I was unable to utilize my current glazes on the bowl due to material limitations. Therefore, I conducted an experiment using dir t, gel medium and table salt to grow cr ystals at room temperature in an effor t to create something that resembles a geode. The result was an object that shares patterns of growth with my current work but embraces fragility. I also appreciate the idea of using an ordinar y, ever yday material and transforming it into something more, a practice inherent in alchemy. When presented with material challenges, all the processes involved in their solution – both physical and mental – can be more rewarding than the finished object, which is ultimately what alchemy is all about.

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Brian Petro Gyri and Sulci Enamel paint, Blood, Saliva, Semen, Levi Jeans, House latex paint, Wood Glue, Graphite “Gyri and Sulci” = Personal Transformation derives from choice and response to random encounters and events, not fate or destiny. Choose your path, guide your path.

Michael B. Platt + Carol A. Beane the soul heals wounds with living Bisque ceramic bowl with pigmented encaustic waxes and graphite.

Platt laid down the spiral of colored waxes and, using graphite, Beane repeatedly, and with variations, has inscribed 2 lines of poetry, the soul heals wounds with living; fine sheer veils of grace, following the movement and energy of the spiral, altering surface and space. That act of inscription—a meditation, allowing the words to become felt deeply in the body...Illness can devastate with its transformations. Healing transforms yet again, restoring...

Jamea Richmond-Edwards He is Able Mixed media assemblage

My vessel serves as a meditation for the effect asthma has had on my 6 year on son. The flowers represent a very delicate soul, however the medal appearance symbolizes its strength and resilience.

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Amber Robles-Gordon Scene 47 from "My Sweet Glitter JuJu Life" Mixed Media In April 2011, ar tist and writer Tosha Grantham wrote an essay about my ar twork. Tosha and I met one afternoon at my studio and talked about my ar twork and life in general. It was a truly memorable conversation. Tosha titled the essay The Sweet Glitter Juju of Life.

“Robles-Gordon gathers and reshapes the sweet glitter juju of life into her work. Individual moments, personal vignettes, and more universal themes are equally woven into it. She examines spirituality, the phenomena of childbir th and motherhood, and the assignment of value to ever y little thing.”

In my assemblage ar twork I use glitter as if it were a cellular form of fair y dust. I find that glitter fair y dust... methodology dulls many of the hard, bitter sweet edges of life.

There is an on going cinematographic slideshow in my mind of fair y dusted butteflies, starfish, found objects and the eventual happy ever after.

Rachel Schmidt We've Hit Ground Ink and digital printed stickers Boats have worked their way into my sculptures and drawings for years and the Alchemical Vessel Project seemed a perfect continuation of what the boat has the potential to represent.

This alchemical vessel plays with the idea of the boat as a tragic protagonist in an invasive urbanized environment. A boat deprived of its' function may seem helpless, but even a grounded boat still has the sky.

Pat Silbert Listening Presence Acrylic on clay with handmade paper and gold leaf

Beloved gaze in thine own hear t, The holy tree is growing there.

-W.B.Yeats

Native Americans have said “Ar t is prayer made visible.” These images of trees, Buddhist iconography and a heron fishing are for me meditative symbols. And gold is an alchemical symbol and a source of light. We need proximity to nature, to walk by rivers, up mountains, in parks and through forests. In the natural world we enter into beauty, into the lives of birds, trees and flowers. We find peace, healing, our souls are fed and we are touched, “in the deep hear t’s core.” Yeats As I paint images from nature and let the Buddhist symbols frame them in a protective way I feel pleased in some mysterious way.

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Lee Wheeler You are the only one who knows this place Various woods, gourd, gold leaf, copper, brass, horse hair, bone, crystal, mirror and acrylic.

I hope the vessel will serve as a reminder that you are the key to the universe in your perception of it.

Healing depends on you and how you draw the power necessary to do so.

In the sense that healing relies on attracting positive forces, it leaves a void that will also attract negative forces, people and thought processes to disrupt forward progress.

The mallet and sharpened points serve as a suggestion that you have the tools to defend your inner self in its weakened state.

I am a maker, you as the viewer must form an interaction with the piece, to complete a circle of communication, as with any piece, to make it functional.

The idea of harmony, balance and healing all require a blending or interaction between two or more elements.

Throughout our existence, people have sought them out.

In an effor t to draw from a sor t of universal inspiration, I tried to use elements and materials found in nature that have existed in some form, since the first quest.Including, colors, symbols, and materials of safety, reassurance, and defense.

Whether or not I've been successful, depends on how it speaks to you.

You are the only one who truly knows.

Rachel Rotenberg Untitled Bowl, wood, oil paint I work primarily with wood. In my ar t making process I draw images in my sketch book and then create them out of wood lumber. For this project I thought it would be best to respond directly to the bowl when I received it rather then impose a preconceived idea upon the bowl. The bowl came to me via FedEx. When I opened the box I found the bowl broken into five pieces with a small section fractured beyond repair. First I reconstitute all the pieces as best I could with epoxy glue.

Then I sanded it down to a smooth surface. Since the bowl felt so fragile I cut thin slices of wood and wrapped them around the form as a protection. Each piece of wood is thin and weak on its own but as I built the structure they come together to form a permanent suppor t. Then I painted the piece as a whole.

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Susan Stacks A Collective Effort Acrylic, gold leaf paint, ceramic Many of the themes used to present this project (meditative gestures, mandalas, alchemy) are totems of my practice. Applied to this vessel those emblems lean into each other to form more complex relationships. Some of the earliest pre-human mark making followed radiant lines from spread fingers. I relate these images to those of sunrays and see the creation of these beams/bursts/halos as a form of body extension. Humans reach out for the light through depicting the force of the sun reaching down to them. The imagined life of the sun originates in our dark, tightly woven, effor ts on ear th. The force of our mutual focus creates a reciprocal relationship where one did not exist before.

Narrating the sun’s security and ferocity we give meaning to its light, which is unobservable without interference, and capture that interaction. The sun owes its emotional life to the multitude of repeated effor ts and attentions with which it is bestowed.

Novie Trump Prima Materia Glass, clay, wax, oil pigments In alchemy there are three heavenly symbolic substances: mercury, sulphur, and salt, the ‘prima materia’. Salt was used as a symbol for knowledge and wisdom as self-knowledge was often considered bitter and painful, but necessary.

Aniekan Udofia Mind, Body and Spirit Acrylic and spray paint This piece is an attempt to explore that innermost par t of us that holds the key to truth and healing. Our constant quest to achieve and inspire others in the process. Using abstracted design patterns and aesthetics of graffiti to create a color saturated haze with the female figure holding her head being the focus.

Mind, body and spirit, connectivity and perception over taking the phusical realm.

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Jessica Rose Stay With Me Through The Substrate Ink and acrylic When I was first presented with my ceramic bowl and the concept, “alchemical vessel,” it was incredibly daunting. I'd only heard a little about alchemy (that it referred to magic or transformation of metals) and “vessel” is such a broad term...

I had no idea how I was going to visually represent such an open concept.

With nowhere else to star t, I turned on some music and pressed my hand into my vessel. The curve of it cradled my palm so nicely. I kept my hand there for a minute, taking inventory of ink on my fingers, a scar on my thumb. The thought came to me that my hands—really, anyone's hands— have such power in them: They can convey ideas through pictures, they can repair, they can build, they can heal, they can transform. The trick I guess, is to find that power. I whole-hear tedly believe that every person carries it somewhere inside them. I am so lucky to have found my power to create so early in life. I know others who have gone through a long, frustrating, incredible search through layers of themselves. The piece shown here is that moment of discovery.

Greg Scott The Fish Bowl Of Life Acrylic Patio Paint The Fish Bowl of Life: Understanding the meaning of life is a continuous journey of going with the flow. The spiritual being is always in a state of transforming their destiny in the universe.

For my Alchemical Vessel I chose the symbols of a fish and water. Two of the most powerful symbols in the world and these two symbols reach across many religions, as well as cultures, which in conclusion the meanings are very similar throughout the history of time. In life, when the human spirit has experienced the bir th of their 1st child and the death of their Mother & Father…the spirit is awakened with the sense of loving everything that life has to offer and understanding his or her journey by holding on to beautiful memories that are everlasting.

Symbolic meanings for fish: fer tility, eternity, creativity, femininity, happiness, knowledge and transformation.

Water : Symbolic meanings for water : transformation, subconscious, fer tilization, purification, reflection, Intuition, renewal, blessing, motion and life.

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Evelyn Tickle Wailing Vessel Integrally pigmented concrete, acrlic rods, notebook paper, thoughts This alchemic vessel is akin to a wailing wall. It is a closed vessel filled with light which seeps out of the concrete vessel's open pores. The holes are filled with small rolled paper scrolls holding thoughts, blessings, messages, grievances, and etc. The holes can be filled with thoughts or left open with light.

Valerie Theberge Embrace Glass, smalti, mirror Gentle, flowing, enveloping, lightness, color, soften.

Tom Wagner Portal.

Mixed media: paper pulp, & acrylic An image that represents a transformative space is that of the squared circle, common to Renaissance magicians.

Renaissance humanists symbolized the unexpressed, divine self of an individual as a circle (Mercury). Its expression in matter, in the outer world, they visualized as a square (Salt). So, for the magician of antiquity, the squared circle—or circle with a square drawn around it—represented manifested spirit. Sulfur he represented as a point in the center of the circle. The point is the constant, balanced pressure (or meditation) that gradually pushes spiritual potential into matter, forcing it to crystallize and come for th. Operating within Leonardo’s color theory whereby yellow corresponds to ear th (south), blue sky (nor th), red fire (east), and green water (west), this object references a nourishing compass to guide, enrich, focus and transform thought into matter often under seemingly insurmountable odds.

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Alec Simpson Firebird Mixed Media (acrylic and ash) "Throughout life we are challenged to learn, unlearn and relearn .... therein lies the alchemy .... therein lies the gold." (adapted from ancient words re-contextualized by Alvin Toffler) For me, the Firebird (aka Phoenix) is a true symbol of transformation from one state to another ... rising from fire and ashes. I always visualize alchemical processes to include some kind of fire. Taking something from a so-called baser state to a more elevated state. And of course if we think of transforming base metal into gold, then for me, gold represents a metaphor for creating anything we claim as good in our lives. Creating that good sometimes means that we have to pass through and rise from the metaphorical "fire".

I wanted my vessel to remain just that, a vessel, with the option of being hung from a wall if one so chooses, but also with the option of being employed for a more utilitarian purpose of holding fruit, tchotchke, or whatever on a table or shelf.

Martin Swift Conversion Oil on ceramic My grandmother died of a stroke a few days after I received the invitation for the Alchemical Vessels exhibit. Her loss sparked an exploration of what might exist beyond the mere vessel of the human body.

The nature of a vessel is determined in par t by its contents, while the act of containing transforms the container and makes it unique and precious. When a vessel breaks and its contents are lost, it also loses its original function. The contents are transformed; no longer physically present, they become abstract: a thought, a presence, a spirit. The container and the contained are irrevocably changed.

Our bodies are vessels for the unique and fragile life contained within them. With death our vessel is breached while its content spills out to continue within and around those we have touched both literally and figuratively. The story of a life lived, the way one affects and influences events, the lives of others and their memories is now contained by everyone who knows of that life. Each human vessel changes subtly. Memory, emotion and spirit transform. No one life is ever completely lost.

Every life and death is profound and unique. The container and the thing contained are both dynamic and always in flux. My search for meaning is forever beginning.

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Kazaan Viveiros Bringing Forth the Dawn Acrylic and gold leaf (on ceramic) I have focused on the idea of alchemical vessel as container for transformation. In the bowl, night is transformed to day as the beetle, carried by the wings of the night sky, pushes the sun disk and brings for th the dawn. The beetle is a goliath, a type of scarab. Black and white are integrated in its coloring, illustrating the alchemical idea of uniting opposites.

Many scarab beetles push balls of dung as they move across the land. They lay their eggs in the dung and as the eggs hatch, the offspring seem to emerge spontaneously from it.

Consequently, scarabs are associated with the regenerative powers of creation. In fact, some shamanic cultures identify the dung beetle as a potter, par ticularly appropriate for the alchemical bowl. The stages of alchemy, associated with black, white, yellow, and red are depicted with dots of each color, crumbs along the beetle’s path forward. The graphite covering the outside represents base metals such as iron or lead. The gold sun disk folds over the edge, as if overflowing, reaching beyond the boundaries of the vessel’s circumference. In choosing an insect, I was concerned with the idea of microcosm and macrocosm, the singular and the universal—a tiny individual as powerful creator of the dawn.

Rob Tarbell The Jubilant Now Hand silvered glass, ceramic bowl, wax, mirror Mirror While working on this piece, Gerry and the Pacemakers’ “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, came on the radio. It was a request in honor of a listener’s father who had passed away suddenly during a shor t battle with colon cancer. The song stopped me, but the dedication hit hard. I remember. I am constantly reminded.

Wax Cindy Neuschwander was an ar tist and worked with wax.

Wax is stable and protective, yet vulnerable to extremes, requiring balance and patience. A passage from Brooch by Yayako Uchida was on the program from the celebration of her life. I now carry it everywhere I go.

“This road continues far beyond, Rather than counting all the missing pieces, Remember the jubilant now.”

Mirror My brother, Rich, literally looked cancer in the face. The scar and the toll are there, but you won’t notice them. He’s looking straight ahead, quietly optimistic.

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Jenny Walton Palimpsest Ink, watercolor, alcohol, salt, Chinese ink, gold leaf, acrylic sealers The approach to this vessel was treating is as if it had the remnants of the alchemical process left within it. Much like life, the process and materials remain in the bowl, leaving evidence of its history. While the vessel itself, though appearing to be nondescript from the exterior, should be considered the gold.

Pamela H. Viola Look Within Mixed Media: gold leaf, encaustic, paper, ink, acrylic, clay My Alchemical Vessel, Look Within, sprang from my typical work process which is one of evolution. It began with a literal representation of alchemical transformation, rust into gold, hence the gold leaf on the exterior.

Then ideas of how personal transformation takes place began to generate. We often begin by looking outside ourselves for our answers when generally they are found within. Look Within is a play on this idea. The viewer is at once looking out skyward through the oculus of the Pantheon in Rome while simultaneously peering into the protected interior of the vessel. Once in that protected space growth may come.

Sigrid Vollerthun Flower Dance Photo transfer I dedicate this bowl to my sister who is a breast cancer survivor.

“My sister danced away the enemy cells that invaded her body.

She inspired other patients to dance with her, lifting their spirits.

The dance of courage, the dance of hope, the dance of love, joy and healing. The dance of Life. She is a survivor and now regularlydances with cancer patients in a clinic.

I dance with her in my thoughts, in my prayers…in my images and… in this bowl.”

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Workingman Collective Tom Ashcraft, Janis Goodman, Peter Winant Red Material Red Flocking To alchemists red was the color of the Fulminato, meaning to strike or extreme change. The Fluminato signified the third stage of the Evolutionary Process, a four-stage alchemical process that indicated when all forces were headed towards a specific 'goal', towards gold, towards magnum opus.

The Ascending Scale of Alchemical Colors Black Massa Confusa White Purifactio Red Fulminato Gold Magnum Opus

Louise Sagalyn Immanent Transformation Acrylic A tree is ever obedient to nature’s call. Even as winter deprives it of its bloom, its bare branches retain a spare beauty.

During this outwardly dormant period, it restores its inner strength, and as spring appears, it energetically bursts for th with blooms that develop into its natural product.

I chose the winter phase because it is a natural metaphor for retaining beauty despite a stripped down state, and maintains the promise of a fulsome spring.

Ellyn Weiss Crucible Wax and pigment I see this piece, and the theme of alchemical vessels, as a visual metaphor for the act of creativity, which takes shape in a crucible of mind and hand. Ideas, inspiration and the form that results are the product of a mysterious interaction of the mundane and the inexplicable - an alchemical process – that comes from practice, repetition, concentration and time.

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Yuriko Yamaguchi KU Wire, resin I initially star ted working on the bowl with an idea in my head. Soon I realized that my idea was not working as I had hoped. I had failed.

I decided to throw away my original idea and instead decided to work with what I had in front of me - the failed vessel and the already cast different colored and shaped resin pieces. I moved the pieces around repeatedly until I found a solution.

I would like to show the interconnected nature of our universe through this piece.

In the vessel, you can find pieces of underwater life and life that grows on trees as well as some forms shaped by hand. I believe we can be healed when we realize we are not alone but are all interconnected in our small existence. 色即是空、空即是色。(shiki souk ze ku, ku soku ze shiki) This is a famous quote from a Buddhist sutra. It means our body is KU. KU is our body. A lot of times KU is translated as emptiness or nothingness. The real meaning of KU is something we have to discover each in our own way.

Julie Wolfe Fade into White Natural elements: coral, shells, foliage with encaustic.

Porcelain, acrylic paint Cast reptile in bronze set with white quar tz eyes In regarding ourselves, our souls, as alchemist vessels, we can visualize a growth promoting, safe and beautifully illuminated place while allowing us to go inward.

Just as nature regenerates itself, we too can do so in the way of transformation.

The vessel that I have created using porcelain, coral, plant matter, cast brass, rock crystal and water are all elements taken from the natural world. The ecological system becomes a symbol of change and regeneration. By changing yourself, your thoughts and state of mind, you can change everything.

The crystal eyes of the cast bronze reptile creature represent the light brought about by your own personal spiritual quest.

“The changing of our bodies is very comfor table to the course of nature, which seems delighted with transmutation.”

–Sir Issac Newton

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Wendy Miller HeartSong Encaustic and pigment As a clay ar tist, it was an alchemical act for me to take my ceramic bowl and "fire" it, not in my kiln with engobes, slips, and oxides, but rather with heated encaustic wax and pigments. The presence of movement, liquidity and color has allowed me to be immediate with these materials as I have always been with clay. It is the crackage, the texture, the layers that I love.

HeartSong is created through wax layers, fused by heat, painted, layered, re-fused, re-heated, re-painted, re-layered.

The encaustic builds up its own texture, leaving behind remnants of the brush's experience, circling, drying, repeating itself over and over again until my vessel reveals the texture of change, marking itself with whatever remains. For me, this crackage is what holds the tension of alchemical change rawness in states of both beauty and pain.

HeartSong recalls and remembers. Physical materials act and react, just as people do with cancer and its necessary treatments and chemotherapies. We all respond physically, aesthetically, and mystically. The hear t's encasement, the pericardium, hardens around the hear t, encapsulating air, breath, changing life. Hope and expectation, love and loss, growth and change – this is our hear tsong, calling out to the inexplicable, our colors goldened by the weathering of time.Â

Millicent Young Untitled Ceramic and horse hair This piece is a confluence of things frequently and misleadingly named 'opposites'. This is not a piece about dualities or unifying them. It is a visual koan that invites the viewer to become still, to see, and to engage imagination and projection. Therein lies the alchemical process. The language of all ar t is archetypal: at once universal, cultural, historical, and individual. It is a language of macrocosm, microcosm, and metaphor. My words are inconsequential.

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Tom Wolff Mouse Bowl Acrylic paint, ink and mouse trap and ceramic bowl I wanted to share a poem I have loved since I was 14. In a little par t recognizing the original of the Steinbeck novella, but more in feeling the tragic relationship of man and nature.

I dedicated this little effor t to my friend Manon Cleary who loved rats but didn't care for mice.

I view this as an alchemical vessel  because it was made for an exhibition with the words alchemical vessel in the title or maybe a snippet of fine poetry may improve one's condition.

Tory Cowles The Power of Exercise sneaker, acrylic paint EXERCISE: * Lowers the risk of stroke by 27% * Reduces the incidence of diabetes by approximately 50% * Reduces the incidence of high-blood pressure by approximately 40% * Reduces the risk of recurrent breast cancer by approximately 50% * Can lower the risk of colon cancer by over 60% * Can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by approximately 40% * Can decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or behavioral therapy Repor ted by the Wall Street Journal whose source was the College of Spor ts Medicine

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Patricia Underwood Compassion Mixed Media My bowl is a Spiritual Map of the human soul’s journey from darkness to light. I chose to depict this because compassion is the most powerful alchemical element of all. It is what powers this journey and lies within the hear t of every human being that ever was or will be (whether they exercise it or not).

In addition to its ability to bring comfor t and relieve suffering, it has been known to have the alchemical power to positively change the course of histories. With it anything is possible.

It begins with the hear t in the center (black dot encircled in green) and travels up the sides through symbols of negative energy. As it nears the top, positive energy symbols begin to appear. At the crest, red ropes of the human condition are wrapped in tears of happiness and suffering and serve to divide the passage.

Over this mile-marker, coming down the outside of the bowl lie symbols of positive energy, tinged in gold, mirroring the knot of gold nestled within the human hear t at the center of the bowl.

Erwin Timmers Message in a bottle Cast recycled glass  The alchemical vessel speaks about creating purity, harmony and the healing that flows from it. My work focuses on the disharmony we see in nature and our environment, which has a pronounced impact on our own wellbeing.

This vessel references how we, as a society, consume and discard resources without much consideration. I use the water bottle, a vessel in its own right, as a symbol of a useful everyday object that people use and discard thoughtlessly and which has now been severely overused. Last year we consumed 28 billion plastic bottles, and only roughly 15% of them got recycled.

Using the medium of casting recycled glass and specific techniques to manipulate this medium, my work invites the viewer to consider not only the end product, but also the origin of the piece and the process of re-creation. I hope my work showcases the possibility and beauty of recycled material, while encouraging the viewer to consider his or her environmental impact.

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John Paradiso OUT Paper, fabric, acrylic, 24k gold leaf I came out of the closet in 1984 at the age of 22. Before honestly acknowledging my sexuality, I was troubled and confused with an innate sense of shame and weakness.

Coming out of the closet set me free. That freedom gave me a strength that I never had experienced before.

Although I can still wrestle with internalized homophobia, it is rare. I exist in the world from a place of strength instead of weakness.

The figure in this bowl, appropriated from gay erotica, is both sexual and innocent. Pansy, a disparaging word for a weak or effeminate man is an ironic slur. Although pansies appear fragile, they are actually a very hardy and disease resistant flower. I incorporate them in this piece to reference this slur and to make it pretty.

For me the process of alchemy, the power of transforming something common into something special, is akin to the coming out of process.

Maggie Michael Untitled (Hermetic Vessel) Spray paint and acrylic on ceramic What is whole or par t? What is told? What is believed? What is possible? How do you define potential? What combinations of chance, fate, purpose or intent add up to happiness or well-being? Â States of mind are impor tant pathways to experience combinations (mixtures and alchemy) of friendship and independence, conversations and shared silence, knowledge and intuition, and belief or doubt. What can be cer tain? For instance, the ground that suppor ts is fragile (upside down) from satellite cameras, and the sun that rises and sets is an illusion. Knowledge and philosophy are rooted and shifted by questioning perception and cer tainty. Â The invitation to make a vessel as a representation of alchemy and healing is a gesture of goodwill and trust. What metaphor or representation are you searching for? Can you name it? Say it. Or, go and find what makes you curious. Notice when something surprises you; is it something you also recognize?

Prepare. Few things hold still or constant the way a vessel sits on a table, shelf or floor. On the other hand, what a vessel contains is mobile; it can be filled and emptied; or, depending on the viewer, it can be full and empty at once.Â

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John Grunwell The Psilocybin Ascent of the Blessed Acrylic and paint pen The Psilocybin Ascent of the Blessed evokes two very different experiences, both of which concern the transformational a lchemy of mystical experience.

The piece’s psychedelic color scheme references ongoing research at three U.S. universities, in which psilocybin (the psychoactive component of “magic mushrooms”) is administered to cancer patient volunteers as par t of an effor t to reduce the powerful anxiety associated with their diagnosis, accomplished through the substance’s well-established power to prompt spiritual/mystical awakenings. Through the process of psychedelic therapy, patients can experience deep and lasting positive changes in their outlook, alleviating anxieties attending their cancer diagnosis, and even to looming terminal outcomes.

The focal point of the vessel is the yellow/white circle, harkening to a well-known theme drawn from anecdotal repor ts of near-death experiences. Like the mystical event engendered by psilocybin, a dying person’s experience of apparent physical transcendence, transforming into a disembodied spirit, drawing towards an otherworldly light in a realm of peace and bliss may result in significant, positive changes in an individual’s behavior, outlook on life, and again, their attitude towards death itself. This experience is depicted in Hieronymus Bosch’s late 15th-Century painting, Ascent of the Blessed, from which I’ve drawn my own title.

Tom Hill Medicine Acrylic and glitter A circle is a complete and perfect shape, having no beginning, middle, or end. A circle that is slumped into a parabolic depth becomes a bowl. How much tears and pain can a bowl contain without spilling? How much healing energy can a bowl hold before it dissipates? The melding of the bowl and the medicine wheel presents a snug fit, while being open and transformative. The medicine wheel is divided into four benchmarks and quadrants, marking such things as the four directions, seasons, elements, stages of life, and milestones of spiritual growth. Each quadrant is subdivided into threes, forming a total of twelve: inches, hours, months, steps. The medicine wheel char ts our life’s journey. It connotes the cyclic and continuous nature of all life, helps us to identify exactly where we are, and enables us to become complete and whole.

The process of alchemy, which transforms common materials into precious metals, is akin to healing. In order to heal, we must take the dark, shameful uglness of our experience and expose it to air and light, creating something new and beautiful. Bright colors, tinsel and glitter, and iridescent powders embellish and map out the medicine wheel with a determined theatricality. That which glitters may not be gold, but can revere and elevate the wonder of a life reclaimed.

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Mary Early Beeswax Bowl Beeswax The Beeswax Bowl was created through two divergent processes. I applied multiple layers of beeswax to the outer surface, allowing the wax to drip downward to create a halo-like irregular rim. The interior open space of the bowl is carved out of layers of beeswax, resulting in a rough and visceral surface. The form of the bowl serves as an endlessly open ended form for interpretation. In my work I create objects out of the spaces delineated by sculptural forms; the bowl represents a different sentiment, conveying a sense of heft and permanence.

Matthew Gifford Bright Vibrations: Pass It On Mixed Media Sculpture Matthew Gifford employs alchemical processes with natural elements for this creation. In “Bright Vibrations,” Gifford plays with oxidation methods, using acids and fire, to transform reclaimed copper, an essential antioxidant nutrient and energy conductor. The quar tz (monoammonium phosphate) known as the “master healer,” absorbs, stores, releases, and regulates energy. Copper’s conductive powers enhance and amplify quar tz’s strongest vibrations. Sacred, or holy, basil is a powerful herb with antioxidant proper ties and phytonutrients containing anti-inflammatory and cancer-preventive qualities.

It lowers cor tisol levels and influences the brain in a manner similar to antidepressant medications. Regular use of the herb strengthens nerve tissue, promotes clarity of mind, increases memory, and eases nervous tension. Throughout history, alchemists, like ar tists and healers, adventurously experimented with elements and alchemical processes to create.

Shelley Lowenstein Dome D'Alchimie 3-D, mixed media, made mostly from "stuff" from a hardware store.

I am a painter of figures in environments. the bowl was a dome from the first time i saw it.

Here is a postcard from "our" tourist--A wonderful day.

Took a side trip to the Dome D'Alchimie.

Fantastic. Better than its photos.

An enormous structure. Felt so dwarfed, and yet energized, walking in and around it.

The architect made use of all sor t of alchemical elements.

Lot's of hardware: electrical and plumbing stuff.

Even the word hardware--hard ware--comes from base metals, just like alchemists used.

Be sure to add this place to your bucket list.

Home soon.

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Olivier Giron Claiming Ground Carpet, synthetic cloth, par t of a cushion, a leather shoe, and the plants growing on them.

Our waste is becoming more of a problem ever yday. The more we consume, the more we waste. At times this waste finds its way to abandoned proper ties, or into the middle of the woods, where it spills over into our ecosystem. These spaces are contaminated without regard for proper ty line, ownership, or inhabitants. In the face of this indifference, nature somehow finds a way to thrive. Our synthetic materials become a pallet for growth for miniature landscapes of a variety of resilient plants.

This vessel uses only synthetic materials that are being reclaimed by living organisms. They were all found at an illegal dumpsite in Fairfax, Virginia.By assembling carpets, shir ts, and other materials, this container becomes the perfect example of nature’s transformative qualities. This system will continue to sur vive with only sunlight, and the moister sealed within the container.

The plants within will regulate their own production of both the needed Oxygen and CO2 at different par ts of their production cycle. The water will remain within the container without evaporating as long as fluctuations of temperature in its environment are kept from rapid changes, which would result in condensation.

Darien Reece The Peacock’s Tail: Cauda Pavonis Mixed media: archival materials including wheat paste and organic cotton batting; cruelty-free, naturally molted peacock feathers, metal stars, casein and gouache.

Beyond the teachings of sages, saints and holy men, Beyond all mysteries and knowledge, Beyond the known and the unknown world, Beyond all religious dogma, the seeker knows there exists a greater, purer quest still.

She has seen and experienced all sights, all sounds, all truths in one explosive epiphany and, far from becoming overwhelmed, rooted in place, the quest abandoned, she remains grounded in her own being.

She has transcended the Cauda Pavonis, also known as The Peacock’s Tail: the midway point in the alchemist’s journey to transformation, the quest for the Elixer of Life, the Philosopher’s Stone, The Great Work.

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Acknowledgements Smith Center staff: Brooke Seidelmann, Gallery Director Anthony Palliparambil, Jr., Exhibitions Manager Erica Kempler, Gallery Assistant & Ar tist Coordinator Alaina Sadick Erin Price Amy Dwyer Madeline Whitman Designer: Grace Toulotte Photographer: Neil Greentree Printer: Todd Allan

Beltsville, MD

Thank you to all of our exhibition sponsors

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Alchemical Vessels planning committee: Wendy Miller, PhD Helen Frederick Constantine Ferssizidis Timothy Schelling Kim Schelling Ellyn Weiss

Index of artists Anderson, Akili Ron, 16 Arkin, Sondra, 16 Axtmann, Joanna, 38 Azar, Rosana, 17 Baker, Cedric, 17 Barsha, Carol, 17 Belmar, Joan, 18 Bilonick, Kristina, 18 Binstock, Alan, 18 Biondo, Emily, 20 Boozer, Margaret, 19 Bouie, Anne, 16 Brande, Elle, 38 Breen, Laurie, 21 Brucker, Sally, 21 Campello, F. Lennox, 24 Capron, Gloria Emanuele, 24 Carlson, David, 20 Chang, Mei Mei, 25 Chen, Hsin-Hsi, 25 Chernush, Kay, 27 Cheung, Natalie, 25 Clouthier, Irene, 26 Corcoran, Joe, 26 Cowles, Tory, 73 Crider, Sheila, 28 Danziger, Joan, 28 Davis, Alonzo, 27 Dell Kaufman, Katie, 29 Dixon, Elsabe, 28 Early, Mary, 77 Edwards, Cheryl, 29 Elkins, Laura, 32 Emery, Kathy, 33 Fall, Dorothy, 33 Farris, Phoebe, 46 Finsen, Susan, 46 Fitzgerald, Lillian, 32 Frank, Barbara, 34 Frederick, Helen, 32 Freelon Asante, Maya, 34 Gaither, Adrienne, 35

Garcia, Ric, 35 Gifford, Matthew, 77 Giron, Olivier, 80 Goldberg, Carol Brown, 36 Goldman, Susan, 36 Goslee, Pat, 37 Graeber, Elizabeth, 37 Graham, Drew Storm, 37 Grunwell, John, 76 Gutierrez, Mar ta Luz, 50 Harris, William, 36 Harris, Winston, 26 Harrison, Elyse, 39 Hassan, Rania, 39 Hester, Francie, 39 Hill, Ellen, 42 Hill, Lisa, 42 Hill, Tom, 76 Jadallah, Laila, 43 Jimenez, Pilar, 43 Jones, Steven, 42 Jones, Wayson R., 44 Kallem, Becca, 44 Kamen, Rebecca, 45 Kavian, MJ, 45 Keesing, Madeleine, 45 Kempler, Erica, 43 Kent, Jeffrey, 47 Klagsbrun, Micheline, 47 Lamber t, Bridget Sue, 44 Langerman, Elaine, 50 Langston, Mary Virginia, 50 Lindholm, Joren, 51 Lowenstein, Shelley, 77 Maier, Dana Jeri, 52 Mann, Matthew, 52 Maroufi-Colle, Kaltoum, 55 Mar tin, Percy, 54 Mathias, Janet, 53 McDonnell, Kathryn, 51 Michael, Maggie, 75 Miller, Wendy, 72

Montgomery, Nan, 54 Newman, Bill, 54 Nikitopoulos, Sarah, 56 Norris, Shanti, 55 Packard-Winkler, Jared, 56 Palliparambil, Anthony, 56 Paradiso, John, 75 Parris, Natalya Borisovna, 20 Petro, Brian, 57 Platt, Michael, 57 Reece, Darien, 80 Richmond-Edwards, Jamea, 57 Robles-Gordon, Amber, 60 Rose, Jessica, 63 Ross, Wendy, 53 Rotenberg, Rachel, 61 Sagalyn, Louise, 70 Schmidt, Rachel, 60 Scott, Greg, 63 Silber t, Pat, 60 Simpson, Alec, 65 Stacks, Susan, 62 Swift, Mar tin, 65 Tarbell, Rob, 66 Theberge, Valerie, 64 Tickle, Evelyn, 64 Timmers, Erwin, 74 Trump, Novie, 62 Udofia, Aniekan, 62 Underwood, Patricia, 74 Viola, Pamela, 67 Viveiros, Kazaan, 66 Voller thun, Sigrid, 67 Wagner, Tom, 64 Walton, Jenny, 67 Weiss, Ellyn, 70 Wheeler, Lee, 61 Wolfe, Julie, 71 Wolff, Tom, 73 Workingman Collective, 70 Yamaguchi, Yuriko, 71 Young, Millicent, 72 Alchemical Vessels 83

ISBN: 978-0-9894094-0-7