On this day of the Winter Solstice I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season! It is the longest day of the year, and this year the date is especially special since Jupiter and Saturn are aligned and appear in the southwestern sky as almost one big star! I hope all of you are staying safe and healthy and happy to be hopefully coming out of this pandemic year and into a better future in 2021.

My art projects have mostly been on hold in 2020 due to the pandemic, but I did complete the installation of “Living Quilt for Sojourner Truth” in Sacramento at Sojourner Truth Community Garden. This public art work consisting of a handmade paper quilt with wildflower seeds in the pulp was installed on Nov. 21, and it is already beginning to transform with the seeds sprouting and growing. We hope to see a bed of blooming flowers in early Spring. These photos show the “quilt” when installed on Nov. 21 and also how it looked on Dec. 16. Thanks to Bill Maynard, Sacramento Parks Supervisor for taking this photo to show the changes.

I am planning to teach papermaking art workshops this summer at various organizations around the US. One workshop will be at Sierra Nevada University, Incline Village, NV.

https://www.sierranevada.edu/academics/summer-art-workshops-2/ingram-allen/

I am also invited to teach a workshop at Pacific Northwest Art School in Washington State https://pacificnorthwestartschool.org/product/ingram-allen-jane-6154-paper-making-from-scratch-with-local-plants-anytime-anywhere-july-13-16-2021/) and at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, Otis, Oregon (www.sitkacenter.org). Keep watching this Blog for updates about the workshops. I am also planning to do some private workshops at my Santa Rosa studio in the coming year. It all depends on how things go with the vaccine and the pandemic outlook.

I also hope to travel later in 2021 to France (Cour Commune, Voulx, France) and to Switzerland (Haus zur Glocke, Steckborn, Switzerland) for artist in residency projects.

Happy Holidays to All! These stars bring hope for a better 2021. The installation is on 4th Street in downtown Santa Rosa, CA, through January 2021.