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    outside scoop: 22

    This week, outside the studio…

    still getting some hikes in before the weather gets too hot, thinking about starting back up swimming and enjoying the flowers
    Nate’s grandma turned 103 and his sister got married, lots to celebrate!

    The Outside Scoop is a weekly blog series that shares a little bit of what’s going on in my life outside of the studio. Please feel free to leave comments, I look forward to chatting with you here!

    Awesome Foundation May Winner

    The Santa Cruz Chapter of the Awesome Foundation picked its second winner! So blown away by the submissions that have come in, there’s a lot of talent in this county!

    Congrats to Andrew Purchin for his film project, What’s Home? Painters Listen Across Differences! Click here to learn more about his project.

    Got an Awesome idea that needs a little funding? Pitch it here!

    outside scoop: 21

    This week, outside the studio…

    outside scoop: 21 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    we backpacked 40+ miles through the paria canyon in southern UT/northern AZ over 4 days and 3 nights
    outside scoop: 21 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    outside scoop: 21 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    outside scoop: 21 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    outside scoop: 21 | the dirt | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture
    our feet were wet all day, we all fell in quicksand and deep mud multiple times but what an epic trip with these two adventure buddies
    do you see Bowie’s ears poking out of my sleeping bag!?

    The Outside Scoop is a weekly blog series that shares a little bit of what’s going on in my life outside of the studio. Please feel free to leave comments, I look forward to chatting with you here!

    online exhibit illuminating the beauty of science

    An image from my installation ‘Plankton Bloom in McMurdo Sound’ was just included in the online exhibition Illuminating the Beauty of Science by Suboart Magazine.

    Science and art have always been closely tied, as the purpose of both is to understand the world around us and create within it. With advancements in both research and technologies happening at an increasingly rapid pace, how does this change the approach to making art through a scientific lens? This online exhibition showcases works that highlight the intersections between science, technology and art in many different ways.

    From May 6 – 26, 2023, you can virtually tour the exhibit here or flip through the catalog here.

    superbloom in the studio

    I’ve been making progress on the ceramic components of ‘A Feast of Flowers’ public art project and it’s starting to take over the studio! I’ve got thousands of flower buds in various stages of being processed taking up every surface of the studio and the thrown ceramic forms they will attach to starting to come to life as well. Now I’ve got to come up with a plan for where all of these flowers are going to live while they dry. Excited to see each flowers personality come out with the subtle uniqueness of each form.

    About the project: A Feast of Flowers will be six ceramic and steel sculptures inspired by the umbel flower structure of fennel plants. Placed staggered along the sides of the trail and silhouetted against the sky, the installation will create a sense of whimsy and wonder for the thousands of patrons who use the trail as well as bring an awareness to our connection with nature. 

    My inspiration for this particular installation comes from my exploration of the natural world, and my curiosity about identifying plants, especially the edible ones. As an amateur forager, every hike in the woods has become like a trip to the grocery store for me. Fennels are one of the most recognized edibles that grow in California, available for the taking, yet there is a tendency to not trust the wild plants. This disconnect we humans have with nature, the loss of knowledge about native plants and how that relates to the global issue of food insecurity are all concepts explored with this project. 

    It is also my hope that whimsical oversized flowers will create a fun and dramatic impact for the area, will draw locals and tourists alike outside to connect with nature, learn about local plants and of course take a moment to stop and smell the flowers. 

    This project is sponsored by:

    A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    outside scoop: 20

    This week, outside the studio…

    We got two more legs of the Bay Area Ridge Trail checked off the list, as we walked from the northern end of Pacifica to Lake Merced in SF and then to Stern Grove in SF. It was just under 9 miles total which took us about 3 hours of walking and then we took a Lyft back to our car which took about 15 minutes. Very fun to take these urban hikes to places we’ve only driven past, a totally new perspective.
    We’ve been spending a lot of time enjoying hanging out in Santa Cruz as the weather has warmed up and dried up. Playing on the cliffs eating oysters isn’t the worst way to spend the weekend.
    Next week we head out for a four day 40 mile backpacking trip in Utah/Arizona, so we’ve started piling up the gear and getting Bowie ready with his pack- he seems excited for the adventure. I’ll hopefully have some great photos to share with you when we return!

    The Outside Scoop is a weekly blog series that shares a little bit of what’s going on in my life outside of the studio. Please feel free to leave comments, I look forward to chatting with you here!

    Updates on the Rail Trail Project

    Excited to start ordering materials and making prototypes for the Feast of Flowers public art project for the Santa Cruz Rail Trail!

    Travis Adams came to the studio and threw a few large flower head forms so we could play with the shape and size we will need. Later, he trimmed the forms to round out the shapes. Trying to make them sturdy and strong while keeping the weight of them as light as possible is part of the challenge with these guys, but there are definitely some winners here!

    600′ of high temperature wire arrived in the studio this week and I got busy cutting it into manageable 15′ lengths, all of which eventually needs to be cut into 3″ long pieces. Whew… it’s going to be awhile to get through this pile

    But check out this first prototype! All this work is totally going to be worth it!

    This project is sponsored by:

    A Feast of Flowers | Jenni Ward ceramic sculpture

    First Awesome Winner

    Really excited to announce that the brand new Santa Cruz chapter of the Awesome Foundation picked their first micro-grant winner! It was so amazing to see how many great ideas were submitted and I have a feeling we are just getting started. So thrilled to have helped launch this project with an amazing team of supporters.

    Congrats to Emily Meehan for her film project called Concurrent! Click here to learn more about Concurrent.

    Got an Awesome idea that needs a little funding? Pitch it here!