Link 1: Patience,​ submitted by Suzanne Hodes

Link 2: Hope Connects Us, watercolor submitted by Kim Welch

​Artist Reflection: When hearts are separated by mountains and oceans, it is patience that helps me hold onto the hope of being together again.

 
 

Link 3: Afloat, music submitted by Rebecca Booth-Fox

​Artist Reflection: When I looked at the beautiful watercolor, I saw pain and hope, which reminded me of the message behind most African American Spirituals. I remembered learning that 2 popular Spirituals can be sung together: Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and All Night All Day, so I put that music to different words, relevant to my experience in quarantine.

 
 

Link 4: Breaching, Choreography by Ilya Vidrin and Jessi Stegall; Filmed by Ilya Vidrin, Danced by Jessi Stegall.

Artist Reflection: In responding to the musical work 'Afloat,' I stuck with a theme of water. I created gestural movement -- using my hand to cover my face, as a nod to the darkness and uncertainty that the previous work speaks to. In the end, I am able to remove the hand, breaching through the water's surface, and rising to the sun.
Note: this is best viewed in tandem with the music link above. Click play on the music, then click play on the video.

Link 5: Clarity, poem submitted by Stephanie Sabins

Link 5: Clarity, poem submitted by Stephanie Sabins

Artist Reflection: I have to be honest, this was a struggle to write. I have felt very unmotivated to create during this pandemic and I appreciated the opportunity to participate and engage with this. For me, I feel like this poem was a good balance of responding to the lovely movements of Link 4, by being honest about what I really need right now.

Link 6: New Sight, digital illustration submitted by Avital Dayanim

​Artist Reflection: I was drawn to the poem’s conception of sight in all of its complexity; internal vision, the vision we intentionally obscure, and novel ways of seeing. I became infatuated with the notion of “new eyes” located in “heart center”, and decided to relay this quite literally in my own illustration. I also tried to maintain the poem’s preoccupation with movement and “sway” through my own subject’s hair, blown back by the force of her very existence.

Link 7: Let your heart's sight guide you, submitted by Sophie Krentzman

​Artist Reflection: I chose these words because the image to me evoked the feeling that now is the time to let our heart guide us into care and compassion for other human beings. It is time to let our hearts and common humanity connect us so we can support each other and heal.

Note: The artists did NOT see the reflections written by the previous artist, only the image of the work and the title. The reflections were revealed only when the chain was complete.

Feeling inspired? Create your own artistic response to this chain and share on instagram #translations2020.