Blue

Although I sadly have no pictures to post, I do have many ideas swirling around about the new theme and my proposed project. With the recent move and the birth of the new babe, I have been thinking a lot about family and motherhood and again, the roles we all wear in the context of family. Specifically I have been thinking about gender roles. Jamaica is pretty traditional when it comes to gender. Women work but they are also fully responsible for child rearingl. The men are generally absent, even if the couple is married. He is immersed in his work and "goes about his business" while the woman takes care of the house and children plus any career she might have. Little boys must learn to find their way in life mostly without the influence of their fathers. Strong male role models are few and far between. It leads to excessive aggression, depression and a sense of abandonment. To raise a little boy to be a sensitive, thoughtful, articulate man is a challenge.

My piece is centered in this social dilemma of how to raise a little boy against the grain of the norm. Right now it is taking the form of an installation and be composed of these parts:

a hand woven rag rug---using my son's outgrown clothing, dying them in an indigo bath and weaving them into a circular rag rug. This will be the central element.

the clothesline---white toddler T-shirts with images of my son silkscreened on them and strung across the room, creating the background for the piece

"something" centered on the rug---still thinking about what can go on the rug...some symbol of who the little boy is to become?? it's still forming...

The differences between raising girls and boys here is profound since the birth of my daughter. I'm already noticing how differently people treat my children. I wonder if people's interactions with them would be similar if we were still in Brooklyn...