STORIES FROM THE CORE II

2024

Stories From The Core II

Installation of 1000 of 340 discrete art-cards 6”x 9” each; 39’ x 7’ x 2’

In this newest iteration series originally based in Oklahoma, I designed and installed the cards for this site-specific installation at the Olin Arts Center at Bates College. Each art card is made of photographs from public park lands and some are paired with meditative prompts written by Maryam Ahmad, a creative non-fiction writer in the medical field. The project bears witness to and makes space for the grief of people and land as a movement towards healing.

Through these, I create ethereal mindscapes designed to spark imaginative and personalized engagement with the earth. My practice of facilitating community healing through rituals tied to place prioritizes care among people from suppressed populations as a radical act. To this end, the sculptural pieces on this wall will change and evolve with the visitors’ engagement.

This installation is part of Across Common Grounds: Contemporary Art Outside the Center, an exhibition in Bates Museum of Art across the hall, where another work by this artist can be viewed.

Stories from the Core was made possible with funding from The Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Thrive Grants through Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. Primary collaborators: Maryam Ahmad. kara lynch, May–December 2021. Graphic design contribution by University of Tulsa, 2022/24; and Third Floor Design: Twila Bouldin, Madeline Fossett, Sarah Power, Abbey Ames, Megan Ames, University of Tulsa, 2022.

To learn more about the Stories from the Core series and Native lands in what is today Oklahoma: https://www.sarahahmad.com/stories-from-the-core