About this image: A concrete cast of my hand, created by sculptor Schuyler Dawson at the Willapa Bay AiR artists residency in April 2019.
It’s strange to look at your own hand, detached from your body. I was surprised by how small and fragile—and old!—it looked. Then again, it was holding up part of a larger piece of art. In that context the hand suggested strength, cooperation, usefulness, belonging. The image reminds me that most art, even writing, which we tend to think of as a cerebral, solo activity, is also the work of our hands, and made possible through the support of others.
Follow Schuyler at Instagram to see more of his work. Schuyler and visual artist Aaliyah Gupta and I collaborated on a piece at Willapa Bay. Read more about it here.