Searching

By Rhea Côté Robbins
Brewer, Maine
June 2011

Searching. Living the life of finding the French heritage woman/women reflected in the creative world around me. Looking to believe and to belong.

Too long living the life of the denied. Going toward the voice of the vision. Important because these are the times of discovery for one woman that multiplies itself exponentially in the art world of mirrors reflecting infinitely. To inform others. Electric. Electricity. Energy. Engines. [Start your engines(!)]

Gravitate toward the cultural foremothers and their needles plying cloth of living in the present. Toward the river banks of self-knowledge against which the waves of knowing lap and sway at the shores—rocky and steep, defying ignorance of the truths. Their and our shared existence.

Edge dwelling with the mysteries stories in many and any form. Paint, sculpture, words, yarn, metal, clay, pictures taken in the creases of living give testimony to their French living lives. Notice of the way they leave their secrets hidden in plain sight for all to witness.

I search for these women to complete my own story. To abate the tides of the times not told; to warm my hands against the fire of story and with the stories now told. The women’s lives lived through their art and craft with all the others surrounding them—men, women, children—are like sign posts leading the way towards believing and belonging. These are the ones I seek. Heartily. Daily. Devouring details and the feeling of understanding and explained. Previews of coming attractions.

Too many women to mention and then only a form or delivery needs to be discovered to alert the others about the women’s immediate, imminent presence of creativity—past, present and possible. Not too esoteric, but with the right spicing to create riot and reveal. The French heritage women’s artistic blending blended blend presences accumulated and emblematic to create meaning and depth of meaning. Joy.

Reclamation as foregrounding the story of the cultural French heritage women and their lives. Everyday existences and the importance of maintaining their ways—among and beyond the evidence.

Restoration as a way of energizing the storied landscape. Images made new and free.

Remember the future as a piece of everyone’s past. Only, the story is deeper and has more meaning; anyone is there, and, also the ones missing are restored. Grief goes away and only memory serves as measure.

The moment of revival is now and the place is here. Anything else is forgetting to remember.

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The above essay was written in response to the call for essays below:

Greetings,

Do you have an essay on the arts that's been bouncing around in your head? Now is the time to put it to paper!

Our friends up at the Maine Arts Commission have put out a call for a piece of original writing about the arts. The winning piece will be published in the annual edition of Maine Arts Magazine.

Check out the full details on submitting below.

Good writing,
Joshua Bodwell
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Call for Written Submissions

The Maine Arts Commission is seeking previously unpublished and insightful critical essays for inclusion in the annual edition of the Maine Arts Magazine to be printed in August of 2011. The deadline for submissions is 4:00 pm E.S.T, June 27, 2011. An award of $500 will be made to the author whose work is chosen for inclusion in the magazine.

The magazine contains highlights of major arts events and initiatives taking place in Maine, as well as updates from successful grant applicants, agency news and guidance for professional development. Submissions are sought to help provide broader in-depth content and to further the agency’s goal of supporting critical writing that pertains to the arts.

Writers, who are full time Maine residents, are encouraged to submit work providing critical insight into themes of art and culture in Maine. Potential subjects could be, but not limited to, pieces that investigate new ways of working in the arts in Maine; or provide insight into Maine’s emerging artists; or offer an exploration of sense of place as related to Maine’s history of art.

To be considered for inclusion in the magazine applicants must:

• have a valid Maine address and have resided full-time in Maine for a minimum of two years at the date of application, and

• be 18 years of age or older at the time of the application, and

• not be enrolled as a full-time student in a field related to the application, and

• have completed and filed all final reports required for previous Maine Arts Commission grants.

All submissions must be sent via e-mail and should include the following information:

1. A 400 - 700 word previously unpublished essay in 12-point, black font and double-spaced.

2. An updated resume including full contact details.

3. A Vendor Form (Click here to download) For first time applicants only. This is information used by the treasury to generate a check for the chosen author. Applicants should be sure to indicate the address the check should be sent to. Click here for instructions on completing your vendor form.

Work must be submitted via e-mail by 4:00 pm E.S.T, on June 27, 2011 for consideration. E-mail your submissions to Darrell Bulmer at the Maine Arts Commission, darrell.bulmer@maine.gov. Please use the words “Magazine Essay” as the subject line of your e-mail. Please attach all documents to the e-mail. Please send document files in PDF, .DOC or RTF formats only.

The successful work will be printed in the Maine Arts Magazine and housed online in a digital format. First North American Serial Rights, rights revert to author upon publication.
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