My Disciples

I'm on the home stretch back to Canada with one more stop at NCECA in Pittsburgh, PA.
I'm preparing to present the eulogy for my ole friend Robin "Grass" Hopper on Thursday afternoon. I will check the time when I get there but I recall somewhere between 4:30 and 5:30. I've been almost 3 months from home so my already tardy admin skills are being taxed.
Grass was a performance artist that could pack the house. A group of 100+ was disappointing for him. I manage a group of about 16 winos on a good day. I have his Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers shirt and Diamond Lil hat- thanks Judi. Since it is St. Paddy's weekend I thought I'd add a bow tie and his signature Elton John glitter glasses.
Grass set me on this path about a decade ago. I owe him for this life alone in a hotel room. He told me once he taught so many more students than the average College prof. On this road trip I did a workshop at The Kiln Studio, Alabama, Brian Nettles Studio, Mississippi, Starworks, NC and Lancaster Creative Factory,  PA. What I love is I don't have evaluations, staff meetings, clean up and paperwork. I have workshops awaiting me at home at Pinecroft.ca .
Here is the congregation at Lancaster Creative Factory.
What a great group of characters. Check out Maggie. She arrived with a smile, tied her hair up Bam Bam from the Flintstones style held together with her name tag and proceeded to cover herself with clay. No fear of failure, no clay too hard, no pot too big just grinning all the time. I love characters. In the final crit I suggested Maggie leave her clay cleaner. I was wrong! The pot is the person and no disguise is possible. Look at Maggie she is part of the clay so to leave it clean is to ask her to step outside of the process she so enjoys being a part of. I mean that literally- part of!
She makes sculpture out of recycled stuff, writes poetry and teaches kids to be weird. The world needs more weird. I emailed Maggie to ask if I could buy something or perhaps trade. I love art that has a story and made by characters.
I hope I can portray your character Grass. I've been working on mine.
Your disciple, Dr. T

Comments

Unknown said…
Are they going to video your eulogy? Hope you find a way to post it on YouTube, eh?
smartcat said…
IWhat Thom Wirt said.
One of my great regrets is that I was never able to meet or do a workshop with Mr. Hopper.
Kanokporn said…
Hope you find a way to post it on YouTube, eh?


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