The Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art has awarded a grant in the amount of $1000 to Emily Clare of Winston-Salem, NC. Clare’s artwork is based on the careful collection and preservation of delicate plant materials. She collects and dries specimens from her travels both far and near, including donations from a wide network of friends who know her from her daily neighborhood nature walks. The grant will fund purchase of a printing press to use with linoleum prints and mono prints, a gelliplate, paper, and ink. The artwork will be disseminated through the Internet, at a time when art galleries and museums are closed.
She believes art can ignite a transformation in all areas of growth in our lives and has the potential to raise our individual awareness and relationships to others and our connection with nature. Such connection is vital especially now at the time of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In her own words,
I have been an artist basically my whole life. I do not know life without my art. My work has always been very organic with nature and spirituality leading the way with me. I love the natural world and find my inspiration there. I find the world to be full of beauty from seedlings to the death. I grew up in a very dysfunctional family and found my peace being in the woods and nature. It always shows up in my work. I have a daughter and daughter in law that are both pregnant now in a time of such uncertainty and feeling such anxiety about their own lives and that of their unborn babies. Sadly it is the new normal at the moment. I want to offer something of hope through my spiritual art work.
MOFSA is pleased to be able to support Emily’s work, which can be a source of hope and inspiration at a time these qualities are so needed in our world.