This link provided showcases the severity of the pandemic's effect on children's mental health and it becoming the next "wave" in the pandemic

This link provided explains how the pandemic is affecting the development of children.

This is an article that provides an inside on taking care of a newborn during the pandemic.

A friend sent this to me. She saw it on her morning walk and decided to take a photo of it.

Community solidarity creates resiliency. Fed up and want to get involved? Follow these local orgs for updates and latest actions: @blackvisionscollective, @reclaimtheblock, @mpd_150, @mnfreedomfund

At Muir Woods National Park the park ranger had a sign displayed, If you need to read lips just let them know and they will remove their face coverings to communicate with you. I was super impressed. This year has be rough. I make my husband do the shopping after a man yelled at me at the beginning of the pandemic because I didn't hear the cashier the next isle over when she said she could help me. The man yelled, "What are you deaf?" and I was too embarrassed to defend myself. I don't wear my hearing aids now because of the mask. Insurance wont cover the cost of the hearing aid and it costs more than my car. I am worried a hearing aid will fly off when I remove my mask so against the advisement of my audiologist I just keep them off. It's whatever. Seeing signs like this just impress me. Inclusivity matters.

Mask Trash found in our sacred places. This was found inside of Muir Woods National Park.

Mask trash found in a protected habitat area of Muir Beach, California. The area is closed to try and recover habitats in danger.

Streets of San Francisco 2k21 by @gregoryd1 #sf #sanfrancisco #sfchinatown #chinatown #regram

For the past year, my husband has been the only one to do errands to keep the risk low. Anytime he went out, he showered and put his clothes in the laundry. No one has stepped foot inside our house in over a year. It may see extreme, but more than once during COVID, Southern CA was the country’s hotspot. We have been extremely cautious, and with both the death rates and people within our own circle who weren’t cautious getting infected during the winter spike, I do not regret our decision. Now numbers are thankfully declining and, even more significant, my mom (who lives with us) has received both doses of the vaccine and my husband and I should receive our second doses next week. Slowly, our lives will hopefully be able to open up a bit. But the moment captured here reminds me that the shift may not be as easy for our kids. My son, who hasn’t had a play date or left this street in months, flattened himself against the wall and refused to move when my mom came back from a Target curbside pick up. She didn’t even get out of the car but my son was terrified that she’d give him COVID. It’s going to be a long process to make them feel safe again.

Georgia Fire Captain Andrea M. Hall recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday morning. She also signed in American Sign Language as she spoke.

It's not an exaggeration to say the new Van Gogh exhibit is an immersive experience.⁣ ⁣ The projectors cover the walls and floor in vibrant psychedelic brush strokes that are constantly in movement, cycling through paintings like The Starry Night, Bedroom in Arles and his self-portraits.⁣ ⁣ Learn more at the link in our bio. 📷: Mariah Tiffany @tangerine__scream

Photos of Deb Haaland proudly wearing the ribbon skirt I designed for her brings me so many emotions that are difficult to describe.It is such an honor to see an Indigenous woman be sworn in as the first Native American Cabinet head. Deb Haaland is such a gracious, humble, and compassionate leader who exemplifies all the teachings that are pretty universal for Indigenous Peoples. The teachings of love, kindness, humility, honesty, truthfulness and courage can be felt every time someone meets Deb or each time we see her speak. Today not just as a ribbon skirt maker but as an Indigenous woman….I feel SO SEEN. I know that feeling echoes tremendously with relatives all across Turtle Island. I am so proud to have been a part of this historic moment in some way. Thank you and shoutout to my friends Margaret Gonzalez and Shane Balkowitsch for asking me to make her a ribbonskirt. ✨✨✨✨✨✨ The ribbon skirt reminds us of the matriarchal power we carry as Indigenous women. They carry stories of survival, resilience, adaption, and sacredness. As survivors of genocide we wear our ribbon skirts to stay grounded in our teachings, to stay connected to the earth and our ancestors. ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 Wearing it in this day and age is an act of self empowerment and reclamation of who we are and that gives us the opportunity to proudly make bold statements in front of others who sometimes refuse to see us. It allows us to be our authentic selves unapologetically. This is extremely important to me because when I was a little girl, the hate and racism I experienced as a First Nations person left me feeling shame. As the daughter of a Residential school survivor and a Sixties scoop survivor, sewing ribbon skirts has brought so much healing to my life. Expressing myself in a cultural and creative way that allows me to feel the strength of my ancestors has given me the space I needed to shed that shame I carried. Sewing is my love language. Extremely honored ~ Agnes Woodward @agneswoodward #ribbonskirts #ribbonskirt #IndigenouswomenEmpowered #DebHaaland #MatriarchalPower

Michele Gable is a wife and mother living in a small suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. In her oral history, Michele reflects upon life before COVID-19 and shares how the pandemic has affected both her home and work life. She highlights her experience contracting a severe case of COVID-19 and how she navigated being around her family throughout her sickness. As an insurance underwriter, Michele describes the advantages of working from home while being ill and how her company handled her sick leave after the virus evolved into COVID-19 pneumonia. She shares the ongoing medical issues she still suffers from months after initially recovering as well as her thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccine as well as wearing masks.

This website gives more insight on how cover 19 has effected wildlife and how humans can help the cause.

This article is telling readers about how cover-19 has allowed researchers to figure out more on how humans have an effect on wildlife. With less humans going out there may be a change to see.

This artwork is a reproduction of the famous work FAKE made on NDSM at the beginning of the Corona pandemic. Created using stencils, Super Nurse represents the many nurses who turn out to be true superheroes during the crisis. The work has gone viral worldwide, showing that street art is the perfect medium to address contemporary issues.

Due to Covid-19 the STRAAT museum featuring urban and street art is closed.

This website explains how wildlife has changed since the pandemic occurred. They explain how it could be a real life jumanji situation and how pollution levels have decreased.

STRAAT is opening its doors on October 9! My work is on show in the new museum for street art and graffiti during the opening exhibition ‘Quote from the streets’. STRAAT is the museum for street art & graffiti. Here you will find artworks - canvasses as big as a building - and their stories that stay untold in the streets. Made by legendary icons and up-and-coming artists from all over the world. STRAAT strives to become the world’s most important center for an art form that was born on the streets of the city. STRAAT makes street art shine for everyone to see in a space that seems to be there just for that. You can visit the website for more information: www.straatmuseum.com. #STRAAT #fake #fakestencils #supernurse #straatmuseum @straatmuseum #stencilart #streetartmuseum

Bored AF... #covidart #covid_19 #covid #coronaart #pandemiclife #urbanart #pandemicart

Ready for the next wave! #wearamask #protect #washyourhands #getvaccinated #covidart #covid_19 #cryptoart #covidartmuseum #streetart #stencil #stencilart #urbanart #graffitiart #banksy #grimreaper

One of the things many of us may not realize is that there are a lot of hearing impaired individuals out there who have difficulty reading lips due mask wearing. It’s important that everyone be patient with others and realize that some people may be unable to understand you. Maintaining a safe distance while pulling your mask down might be necessary for effective communication. . . Special thanks my patient of mine who gave me permission to share this post. . #hearing #hearingloss #hearinglossawareness #hearingimpaired #deafandcovid #deafandmasks #covid_19

My ‘I Lip Read’ badges are still available. £3.75 including postage. DM me if you would like one or a few. They have really helped with people’s awareness. Once all this rubbish mask business is over these badges will be a good addition to a denim jacket or rucksack. #deafawareness #deafcommunity #deafacademy #ilipread #deafandproud #deafandcovid #selfhelp #makepeopleaware #dontstrugglealone #lipreadermask #lipreader #deafculturesorority

This article, "From Equality to Global Poverty: How Covid-19 is Affecting Societies and Economies," includes much information. It covers things like the fact that millions of kids may not ever go back to school after this. The article talks about how poverty has increased since the outbreak and how clean energy progress has stalled. The article ends by talking about the investments needed. But all in all there is a lot of important information here on unintended consequences.

Devi Sridhar from the London School of Economics covers some things we don't think about when we think about consequences of the pandemic. She compares outbreaks to black holes, as society focuses attention to the pandemic, other priorities are put to the side. Juliet Bedford talks about the vulnerabilities of poorer communities. This interview covers lots of unintended consequences and outcomes of the pandemic.

A comprehensive timeline of all the major events that occurred related to California's education; K-12 to college-level. It starts on March 4, 2020 with the latest entry at March 11, 2021.

The pandemic has created an increasing issue in employment rates, and those with children to care for have continued to struggle. "Black and Brown women have lost the most economically, and women in general have been forced to leave the workforce." These women are forced to sacrifice even more just to have basic child care. Hopefully, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) can help financially support these families and services with "nearly $4Billion in child care funding" headed California's way. These funds are being split into two categories. One is towards the child care industry (including staff salaries, safety practices, and supplies), while the other is towards families and child care providers. The legislators are aiming to provide more equal policies and services to all Californians. It's in no way going to solve everyone's child care problems, but it's a start.

"Gone are family-style meals and snacks where children serve themselves. And no more sharing toys." If it sounds grim to you, it sort of is. Children are having to stay six feet away from one another just like any other person. The difference is that a lot of these children are still far too young to understand why. Safety guidelines have been provided from the California Department of Public Health, county departments of public health, and the California Department of Social Services. This is in a notable and admirable attempt to grab some semblance of normalcy back while remaining cautious. Some other changes include, but are not limited to, having toys be sanitized after use, physical touch (i.e. hugging) are kept to a minimum, and children cannot play outside (such as the playground structures). A big problem seems to be with the touch, though. A lot of these children, as young as 2 years old, start crying and need some physical comfort. Although some of these new guidelines are straightforward and simple, they're not easily implemented as it can easily hinder a child's development and understanding of the world.

"Since March 2020, students, parents, and teachers in Indonesia have been grappling with school closures affecting 62.5 million students from pre-primary to higher education." With such a socioeconomically diverse population, it's difficult to gauge just how accessible isolated learning would really be during the pandemic. The Ministry of Education and Culture had to move quickly to assure that there was some structure and guidelines set in place for educational institutions to follow. Unfortunately, as internet access isn't quite the common luxury many households have, the ministry sought partnership with television programming stations. This was to, at least, provide educational material to those who have access to televisions but not internet. The article goes on to provide four ways in which they hoped would assist in the growing education deficiency. 1) Develop more solutions to reach students without internet access; 2) Increase connectivity and train teachers to deliver more effective and interactive online learning; 3) Identify and support those falling behind with differentiated instruction; 4) Support disadvantaged students to return to school.

During the first month of the lockdown in Santa Monica, California, Catherine Butterfield and Ron West started making short films for their friends and family, attempting to find humor in the very strange situation we all suddenly found ourselves in. Entitled LIFE DURING LOCKDOWN, they assumed it would be a very short lived project. A year later they still find themselves doing it, and in fact are on their 61st film as of March 21, 2021. At one point, having run out of interesting things to say about their own relationship, they started to tell stories using the marionettes Catherine and her mother created when she was in high school. These films fall under the banner BUTTERPOTTS PLAYERS PRESENT, are much more technically advanced, (Catherine taught herself iMovie) and employ the voices and sometimes even the faces of talented actor friends who were willing to play along: Jean Smart, Bob Odenkirk, Richard Kind, Peter Onorati, Priscilla Barnes, Kiff Vandenheuvel, Nancy Youngblut, Nancy Ritter and a host of others.

This is yet another example of Corona themed clothing from a Ross in Round Rock TX. This shirt boasts the popular phrase "We're all in this together" which was a widespread "rallying cry" so to speak for people to unite in weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. The shirt shows smiley faces surrounding the phrase. The shirt is intended to comfort people by letting them know their are not alone while they experience the changes COVID has caused in around the world. The phrase also serves to motivate people to be strong and focus on willingly bearing the changes that need to be borne to defeat the virus.

This is another COVID-19 inspired shirt from the same Ross in Round Rock TX. It shows an African American woman with an afro wearing a orange, yellow, pink, and purple mask. written on her hair is "Social distancing" and beneath her is written "queen". This is the first example I had seen of Corona themed vocabulary appearing on a clothing item. This shirt states that the woman in the picture, and the wearer of the shirt, are social distancing experts. It also implies by the word "expert" that the person wearing the shirt is very diligent in making sure they follow the proper social distancing requirements because they want to do their best to protect others. The term "queen" according to Lilian Esene is a specific cultural reference to "a collective effort to overwrite the negative connotations [of certain terms] that, historically, have often been associated with" undervaluing and demeaning "black people". "It’s all done to contrast the way that our history and our persons have been portrayed in school curriculums, books and the media" she states in her article on The Gazette website.

I took this picture in a Ross store in Round Rock TX last summer. It reads "Staying in is the new Going Out". This is the first instance I had ever seen of a clothing item referencing COVID-19. The shirt implies that with all the stay at home orders, lockdowns, and closures taking leisure time at home is the new way to have fun and enjoy yourself. Noticed that it is also lounge wear. I did not realize it at the time, but many items of Corona themed clothing are casual or lounge wear likely both as a funny gesture and to suit the natural desire to wear comfortable clothing when confined at home for extended periods.

Interview with Krystal McRae

Awesome!! Way to go Jamaica!! 🇯🇲💪🎉 #instagood #igers #love #accomplishments #signlanguage #signlanguageawareness #waytogo #jamaica #jamaica🇯🇲 #deaf #deafcommunity #national

Which Quarantine Deaf House would you choose? You have to pick one 😆🤟🏼 I choose House #4 🧏‍♀️ ☕️

This is the sign for COVID-19 (Corona Virus) . . . #ASLizeyourlife #inspiration #visual #asl #deaf #deafworld #deafculture #signlanguage #deafeducation #americansignlanguage #deafpeople #deafpride #deafaccess #deafness #deaftalent #learn #motivation #teaching #language #learning #learningisfun #learningeveryday #learningathome

When we say end violence against our elders, this means demanding accessible, equitable and culturally responsive healthcare services for them. Here are some community-based resources who have been doing this work: @pacificislandercovid19 @picawashington @empoweredpi Thank you Seattle Times for amplifying how COVID and inequitable health care services impact our communities in Washington. The impacts are detrimental and NHPI communities are impacted at disproportionate rates. Check out the entire article @seattletimes. Some things this article highlights - vaccine services provided need to be inclusive of different cultural lifestyles and practices, lumping Asian and NHPI data together invisiblizes NHPI needs, there is a great need to bring community-based groups to the table to build accessible systems and solutions. (Image description: a carousel of 9 slides from an article by Seattle Times. 1. A front page article that reads to fight covid-19 with vaccines, native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Washington first need to be seen. 2. A quote in simple black text that reads "that is one of the things that we continue to think about How do we honor those that have passed during the pandemic? Our elders have so many stories, so much knowledge and they're essentially the wisdom keepers of our culture" seia Said. 3. The numbers tell the devastating story. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders make up about 1% of Washington state's population but account for 2% of cases in the state according to the State department of health native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have the highest average rate of any race and ethnicity in the state at $7,132 per 100,000 people and also lead in deaths per 100,000 with an average of 151 as of February 21st, according to the UCLA Center for health policy research" Captions continues in comments. #InSolidarity #AAPIWomenLead #COVID19

Verified Just a block away from the Storm’s home at Climate Pledge Arena, artists Mari Shibuya and Zahyr Lauren, also known as L. Haz, put the finishing touches on a massive, 50 feet by 20 feet, mural dedicated to the four-time WNBA champions. The final pops of yellow are added around future Hall of Famer Sue Bird, who is months away from her 20th year as a WNBA player. Faces of former league MVP and reigning Finals MVP Breanna Stewart and up-and-coming All-Star guard Jewell Loyd accompany Bird, with the Seattle skyline pictured behind them. “It’s a message of solidarity, a message for social change,” said Shibuya. The Storm worked in collaboration with Muros, a global art activation agency, for the project. The art can be seen on the Toulouse Petit building on Mercer and Queen Anne Avenue. (by Alan Berner/ The Seattle Times)

Tonight AAPIWL joined Angelo Quinto's family + community, the incredible organizers of @justiceforangeloquinto, Civil Rights Attorney @johnburrislawfirm , the mother of Oscar Grant- Rev. Wanda Johnson, @justice4steventaylor grandmother, @robbonta, Cat Brooks @antipoliceterrorproject, Antioch's elected officials, and hundreds of community members from all over the Bay Area to celebrate Angelo's 31st birthday. Tonight we all learned that Angelo was well loved by his family in Antioch and in the Philippines. His family talked about how amazing and special he was, and they were proud that he wanted to pursue his passions in art. We learned more about the powerful community that will continue to support the Quinto family in their fight for Angelo. Thank you again to the organizers for this beautiful celebration and vigil, for uplifting Angelo and his family, the call for solidarity, the need for mental health resources, demanding the end of police violence and the need for accountability for Angelo and the countless men who were also murdered by the Antioch Police Department while having a mental health crisis. We will continue to fight with you all. #JusticeForAngeloQuinto #JusticeForAngeloJusticeForAll #AAPIWomenLead #InSolidarity #StopAAPIHate

There are different events happening today - thanks to the organizers across the US for your work. We’ve been learning alongside LA in particular - THANK YOU to all of the organizations + individuals who’ve been working SO hard to make today happen. We love our communities + we are building collecting power. Hope you join this movement. #InSolidarity @ccedla NAME CHANGE: In an effort to amplify our message of solidarity, we are no longer using “Stop Asian Hate” in the title for this event. CCED recognizes that the emphasis on hate crimes limits the scope of the conversation, implying these attacks are merely isolated racist attacks + that policing is the solution. Hate crime legislation funds surveillance but does not actually change the material realities that working class Asian Americans live in. Anti-Asian violence is tied to the collective struggle of BIPOC under white supremacy. We’ve provided some reading materials in our link in bio for folks to learn further! . . Join our communities THIS SATURDAY 3/13 @3:30PM @jamuseum in Little Tokyo (in person or via livestream!) for “LOVE OUR COMMUNITIES: BUILD COLLECTIVE POWER”--a grounding, healing space in the wake of anti-Asian Violence. Meet, collaborate, and build with grassroots organizations doing direct work in Los Angeles Asian American communities. Artwork by Cynthia Yuan Cheng @cynthiaycheng Organized by: Chinatown Community for Equitable Development @ccedla Ktown4BlackLives @ktown4blacklives Tuesday Night Project @tnproject Nikkei Progressives @NikkeiProgressives Sunday Jump @thesundayjump API Equality LA @apiequalityla Kabataang maka-Bayan / Pro-People Youth @kmb_la Progressive Asian Network for Action (PANA) Palms Up Academy @palmsupacademy J-Town Action and Solidarity @jtown.action.and.solidarity Hosted by: The Japanese American National Museum @jamuseum **Masks required. Double masking encouraged. Social Distancing required per CDC Guidelines** ADA accessibility + streaming details to be announced. Check out the FB Event Page @ccedla link in bio. [image description - more info on @ccedla page at comments]

We are building out our work beyond social media. Until we can share more details, here are some notes from the #ImReady2020 “Hope, Healing, Accountability” convening we held last year, which included community organizers, healing practitioners, youth leaders, teachers, scholars, legal experts, and more. Thank you to everyone who continues to share their wisdom about why this moment is happening + for doing the work to demand resources + to build accountability structures across all of our communities. We honor the work community members, including organizers and educators - do every single day to create change + to take care of our communities. . . #IMREADY2020 @aapiwomenlead works every day to make sure our progressive communities are highlighted, informed, held and organized. Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander women and girls, gender non-conforming communities have BEEN here surviving + resisting CENTURIES of white supremacy, colonial violence. We have been leading in solidarity with all BIPOC communities- even when we keep getting erased. We will stay at it. Here are a few notes from yesterday. Videos to come. . . . Posted @withregram • @aapiwomenlead We can’t be happy enough with today’s news!!!! Thank goodness for all the organizers that worked so very hard to change the administration! AND we finished our first day of the #IMREADY2020 conference, “Hope, Healing, Accountability.” We learned about the history of militarization, colonization, police violence and war against our communities. And we learned about the ways that AAPI women and girls - across the gender spectrum, queer communities, and youth have always been at the forefront of liberation work. We will stay at this work to transform this place. For today - we celebrate. . . . (image description - image 1: there is an increase in hate violence against Asians through the trump administration and COVID. but will this violence end with this new regime? -Dr. Mimi Kim #IMREADY2020; captions continued in comments] #aapiwomenlead #insolidarity

To all of our community members who are hurting and angry, please take time and space. Be easy on yourselves and each other. We will do the same. To our teammates, thank you for checking in. We are grateful. Please continue to work with us + each other to end violence against Asian and Pacific Islander women, girls and gender non-conforming communities. Tonight we are talking about the Asian women massage parlor workers who were killed - but we work for all of us. In solidarity. To everyone else, we hold the entire racist and misogynist system + culture accountable (and that’s only the tip of the iceberg). We are not your jokes, your vacation spots, or your toys. Take care, community. We need you. End this violence. In pain and outrage, AAPI Women Lead [retweet- @jennyyangtv Asian women are your punchlines Sex workers are your punchlines Kung flu is your punchline You fucking did this] #aapiwomenlead #intersectionalfeminism #insolidarity

Repost from @hownottotravellikeabasicbitch Repost from @hownottotravellikeabasicbitch • If this ain’t the energy you’re coming at: — •Anti-Blackness •Stolen land •Asian hate crime •Deportations •Kids in cages •US imperialism •Islamaphobia •Anti-Semitism — Then I don’t want it. — If you can’t see how all these movements are connected & how every attack on one of us is an attack on us all, then I can’t help you. It’s only unity for me. — Speech by Isabel Kang from @krclaorg, originally posted on @aapiwomenlead.

A roughly week-by week account of the pandemic's effects on my family, community, workplace and nation.

As I was making my list of things to have for going back to work in person for the first time in over a year, I asked myself “wait, do I remember how to drive?” On March 16, 2020, I drove to my classroom under the impression we would be working from school without our students until school reopened for the kids after spring break. By the time I got there, everything had changed. We had a quick full staff meeting telling us to take everything we need home, check our email later, and that everyone was to stay home indefinitely. I have not worked from my school site since. So, I drove home, showered, and put my keys where I always do. They remained there for 368 days. Tonight at dusk, realizing that my commute is coming back in two days, I grabbed my keys and made my husband ride shotgun. I was actually really nervous, because what if you can forget to drive at age 40? I also realized I did not drive a single day of my 39th year, which is sort of a cool statistic. I timed my drive for dusk because I teach zero period, and due to daylight savings it will still be dark when I begin my commute Monday morning. I am extremely happy to report that driving is a skill that sticks with you - especially important in Southern CA, where we drive EVERYWHERE. I’m still a little anxious for Monday morning. Not only will I be back to work in person for the first time, but my commute will be the first time I have been completely alone in over a year. Sure, when I teach remotely, I am upstairs alone in the room, but everyone else is home doing similar things in other rooms. When I run on the treadmill, though I have my headphones in, people mill in and out. I have not been totally alone this entire quarantine. I imagine my 30 minute commute will be either completely anxiety inducing or end up being the most relaxing and best part of my day! *Disclaimer: I am NOT flipping off the camera, that’s my pinky, I’m throwing a Shaka.

Cynthia Jensen is an executive secretary for a Superintendent of Schools office in a rural town in California. In this oral history, she discusses how the pandemic has affected her workplace, coworkers, family, and community, explaining her disappointment with the official response to the pandemic. She also touches on her experience getting the vaccine, and how she feels about the future now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Cynthia also discusses her concerns from the start of the pandemic, and how those concerns have shifted or grown throughout the past year. She hopes that moving forward, there will be better preparation for outbreaks such as this, and a stronger unified response from the general public. Looking to the next year, she predicts that it will take time for the schools to recover and find ways to best support students and staff.

On March 17, 2020 I drove to the university campus where I work to retrieve materials from my office and to rescue my plants. The WHO had just declared the pandemic. My university administration had sent an email in the late afternoon saying that the campus buildings would be closing for a month starting at midnight that same day. So I rushed to campus to grab some essentials. It was surreal to enter my office and pack it up when just days before things felt normal but there was a growing sense of dread. I saw this artwork in my office - I keep it to help me remember that hard times can be turned around through a shift in perspective. It cheered me up as I packed up my plants. I posted about it, saying that I was packing up my office for 'a month at home'. I've been working from home and teaching from home for over a year now. Campus remains closed to non-essential activities. My plants have taken over our unused guest room in the ensuing year. When I look at this I am viscerally reminded of that day and how much uncertainty there was - and naiveté about what we were in for.

Went it seemed like the entire world shut down because of COVID-19, and we were ordered into lockdown, we could no longer be out and about in the world, gather – or even see our friends and families. As time passed, people began to absorb the implications the pandemic was having on their lives and our responses ranged from loss and mourning, loneliness, and restlessness to introspection, creativity, and reinvention. Meanwhile, the natural world began to tap our shoulders. The animals returned to our cities, birds had took back the skies, and all sort of hidden gems were no longer obscured by our pollution. My own relationship with nature is one of push and pull. I witness in nature, the miracle and fragility of my own fleeting life force mirrored back to me. This inspires awe and intensifies my awareness of being alive, of being a conscious individual within a larger interconnected whole yet understanding that this “whole” remains elusive. My mind battles to rationalize my observations and impressions of an intelligent force that seems equally purposeful and chaotic, innocent and cruel, physical and divine. This relationship has held me rapt and has been at the heart of why I make art. For over 20 years, I have incorporated moss (both living and dried), pine needles and other organic materials into sculptures, constructions and large-scale installations that explore the living energy of the natural world. It is while being in nature that I find myself closest to my art. As I carefully and respectfully collect mosses and needles, the seductiveness of vibrant colours and complex textures occasionally gives way to revulsion as I realize how much insect life they carry back to my studio. While I am made ecstatic by the beauty of life, I am terrified of stumbling upon traces of death. But now, with the pandemic, the possibility of death has come very much to the foreground where, just breathing in public feels dangerous. Although usually a citizen of the world, I am currently fortunate to be living in the country, with the expanse of Georgian Bay across the road and surrounded by deep forests. Outside of my miniscule bubble, I am essentially alone here and the deafening silence has force me to look further inward. My new work has become intimate in scale – small wall constructions made with pine needles. I sort, order and place my pine needles with Baroque intention. They are painstakingly laborious to make – a process that is contemplatively ritualistic but it is now the one area where I feel a sense of control and I am able to manifest love in a physical way. The forest seems ever more vibrant now because when the world went silent, Mother Nature returned to her dance, and now I can fully be in that dance.