dedication

Once upon a time I stopped
long enough
to look over my shoulder
to see the boys
I had taught
who stayed in touch
had become
teachers, artists
and soldiers.

A great big thank you to all the people who supported me in the show, many of whom are pictured/mentioned in my last two entries.
Special thanks to Nancy Hofstadter of the Meeting Center and to John LaRocca of the Rensselaerville Institute who were crucial to the creation of the exhibit.

Finally, a little explanation and a dedication that were posted at the gallery, for those who couldn't make it:

genesis
two years ago, the ties began
with my desire
to use words of great thinkers to
counteract the bombardment of
contemporary rhetoric on the senses.

early summer 2007
masks were shaped
to expand upon themes of character and identity
begun with the ties.

installations
were made, paying homage to
Seven Samurai, incorporating
traditional Japanese materials:
paper, fabric, bamboo.

convergence
late summer 2007
a former student
brought to my attention a blog entry
on MySpace written by a helicopter pilot in Iraq.
The pilot, also my former student,
cited words I had given him some
seventeen years ago
that he remembered
in the desert.

winter 2008
the story continues to evolve
with subsequent correspondence.
threads of this story and
of our lives tie the elements
of this exhibit together.

proof
beneath façade,
time casts an
invisible net of thought,
feeling, presence, truth
that binds us together.

dedicated
to Captain Brian Michael Olmstead USMC
and to all once and future warriors.