Closing Reception: May 2nd from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
As a second grader, fulfilling the assignment to write about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wrote, “I plan to be an artist.” I took painting classes from Ann Hogel for years and went on to get a BA in fine arts from Sonoma State University in 1972. After graduation, I moved to Massachusetts, where I tried to sell baked playdough Christmas ornaments in downtown Cambridge. Unfortunately, the cute salty ornaments absorbed water from the fog and melted off their hooks. Back in California, I collected appealing seed pods and grasses and made wreaths for sale at crafts fairs. It was fun, but a living was not to be made. I taught art for a year at an alternative High school in San Francisco. In early February of that year, I sold line drawings and colorable valentines at the Embarcadero’s outdoor crafts market near the wharves on the bay. Working for California’s Office of Appropriate Technology, I authored, costumed, and performed plays to educate school children and families about water and energy conservation and the use of renewable energy. As the Local Energy Organizer under the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO) in Helena, I organized a Christmas craft fair that filled the Lewis and Clark Library’s large conference room. Working for the Montana Power Company (now Northwestern Energy), I embroidered my scientist’s coat with renewable energy symbols. I decorated numerous bill hats with three-dimensional flowers and embroidery. I worked in a friend’s clay studio, creating hand-built sculptures. I have had my puppets, wall hangings, crocheted hats, and mobiles at the Ho Ho Holter and in their gift shop. I had a mobile show at the Lewis and Clark Library and later taught a mobile-making workshop for them. My mobiles have been in the Hub and Buzz Boutique and still hang in Martin’s Wines. Over the years, I have made collaged valentines for lots and lots of friends and relatives, often with friends who joined me in my studio to create their own valentines.
My intention for this show is to share a visceral experience of just a tiny, tiny, tiny amount of the total plastic humans have manufactured. Plastic is awesome! It is really, really, really strong, comes in great colors, and can be molded into an infinite number of shapes and sizes. However, its micro bits permeate all of life. It lasts for generations. My dream is that we quickly find safe alternatives to plastic and reduce its use. I hope Spinning Plastic into Gold inspires us to move playfully and boldly into building the future we want.
I am Ann Wilsnack, poet, friend, artist, mad hat crocheter, GrAnn, gardener, cook, dancer, quilter, partner, mother, and mobile maker. I balance things that spin, revolve, and dance. My first mobile was made of metal. Leaves, beads, branches, shells, fabric, seed pods, bark, and papered boxes followed. Plastic mobiles were interspersed. I have scavenged plastic from everywhere I travel, feeling good about temporarily removing ubiquitous litter from our roads and beaches – but all I’ve done is move to somewhere else…
WELCOME to this show! I’m so glad you are here! I hope the beauty, humor, and whimsical nature of these mobiles relax your brain and ignite the INFINITE possibilities that beckon us. If you’re interested in adopting one of these mobiles, please contact me through https://annwilsnack.com. If this exhibit speaks to you, let’s all meet each other at the closing reception on May 2 at the Holter from 6-8 p.m. – let’s strengthen our community!
Love, Ann
Museum Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday:
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday:
10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday
Committed to showcasing legacy, established and emerging artists, we aim to be a vibrant hub that celebrates the power of art, in all its forms and expressions, to transform lives.
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