In grant documents, the project is called "Art Wagon Return." I proposed returning to to the path of a previous journey to do research & development using local art materials, and to offer what I can of all things art to the [mostly rural] folks I meet along the way.
To my happy surprise, the Arizona Commission on the Arts also thought this was a good idea. So here I am, about to launch!
The first journey, in 2013, was on Walter. This is Walter.
Walter is a fine mule. I bought him in Louisiana, rode him into Mississippi, then turned around and rode him back to Arizona. He'll be home - out to pasture - while I'm away this time.
Of course, nothing is "normal" in this strange year. The grant was approved in late March. We all know what happened next... everything came to a stuttering halt. Schedules changed. Plans changed. How to put out the canopy & chairs and invite visitors, when travelers are being asked to self-quarantine?
AFTSA to the rescue! Our local Tucson arts council gave out small emergency grants to artists doing public works, to salvage their projects by going virtual. So I was gifted a cell-signal booster, phone tripod and mic. Video podcasting. Social media.
Live streaming will be on Facebook and Instagram. I know, I know. Deal with the devil... but what's that Mark Twain quote?: "Go to heaven for the climate, hell for the company."
The van conversion isn't done yet. A few before-and-after pics of the inside:
