Each year, about 150 Massachusetts high school juniors are selected to come together for “two days of exploration and collaborative art making with 16 professional artists and mentors” for Art All-State at the Worcester Art Museum. I am so excited to share that both Bob and I were selected to serve as Artist Mentors for this year’s Art All-State in May. I went to All-State as a high school student, and this may sound hokey, but it was one of the greatest weekends of my life. It was the first time I collaborated in the creative process with peers who shared a deep interest in art and making things. This image is of a huge tape mural created by world-renowned tape artist Michael Townsend on the side of the museum during Art All-State 2007. Look for my post about this year’s All- State in June.

I’m not huge on doing lavish Christmas decorating in my own home. Just give me a tree and a minimalist nativity. I do, however, love making ornaments and filling a tree with small treasures. I think this angel is my favorites of all time. I didn’t make her, I’ll have to have mom remind me where she comes from. She has bendy limbs, so every year growing up I would shape her into a new pose that she would graciously hold the entire holiday season. Now I love it because it’s old and makes me chuckle about my how much of a girls’ girl I was- loving everything ballet, pink, kittens and. . .

. . .unicorns. And, bless my mother, she started ornament collections for my brother and I long ago. When I got married she gave me a box filled with the ornaments that had been given me over the years, and on my first Christmas with my husband we had a good start to our own collection. Do you have any favorite ornaments?

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