ARTIST

COLOR. CLOTH. STORY.
“I believe in art. I believe in its contribution to culture by affecting people in deep, sticky ways. I find beauty in ordinary motifs that express intensity and caring.” —Ann Clarke

The Making of Ghost Trees

The Making of Ghost Trees was created as part of The Interior Landscapes Project, which includes my being a 2024 Artist in Residence at Stone Quarry Art Park in Cazenovia, New York, and the exhibition, Ann Clarke: Interior Landscapes, at Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, New York. Made by Daylight Blue Media with generous support from a 2024 New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Creative Grant.

Featured on DementiaSpring

Ann Clarke’s life was filled with big feelings when her mother, who was living and struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, moved near her home in New York so Ann could take on a bigger role as her caregiver.

“OK, this feels big,” Ann says, “so I’m going to make big work.”   

Ann quickly learned she needed to surrender to her mother’s reality, and not correct her all the time. “I had to learn to accept my mother’s reality,” she says. “To receive it without judgment, and not correct her, and have a conversation as best I could within the space as she defined it.”

Ann worked through those feelings by creating art. A textile artist, Ann created several rugs over the course of eight years made of luxurious materials that beckon the viewer to touch and feel, or even use at home. One piece, Love and Loathe, measures nearly 13 feet long!

—Excerpt from “Lessons of Empathy: Tales of dementia and caregiving woven for us by fiber artist Ann Clarke”

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