The Jar Project

Putting objects into jars is kind of my thing.....

In 2010, I was fortunate enough to be a part of Artprize, the largest art contest in the country, which takes place right here in Grand Rapids.  I spent six months asking everyone I know (and everyone they knew) what they dream about at night.  Each dream was written on a tag and tied to a mason jar containing objects that represented the dream.  In total,  I filled 378 jars, wrote out all the tags and built shelves to display them on.  My project was chosen to be hosted by the Grand Rapids Public Museum and I was voted into the top 50 (out of over 1,700 pieces).

It was an insane amount of work, but the experience was amazing.  I loved every minute of it. Someday, if I can find the time and energy, I would love to do it again.  I was interviewed by two news papers and a local blogger for Craft Sanity.  Click here to see her post about my project and a very awkward interview video.

When I saw The Jar Project on Art House Co-op's website, you know I signed up.  Jars were sent out to be filled and returned to their New York gallery.  A window display will be created using two hundred jars, all filled by different artists.

To fill my jar, I decided to stick to what I know: dreams.

Often, I dream about going into old, forgotten places and finding amazing things.  Most of the time, its the attic of my Grandma's big old house.  The room is usually transformed into a majestic place with high ceilings and large windows.  There are shelves filled with faded books that rise several stories, dusty winding staircases to secret doors and passages, and elaborate antique furniture.  I discover chests, boxes and wardrobes filled with incredible things...only to wake up and realize that none of it was real.  With random found objects, I turned the jar into a corner of my Grandma's attic. Scrap paper to makes up a tiny bundle of letters,  ribbon and lace tucked into a bead create a sewing basket and buttons, beads and charms read as other forgotten trinkets.  Because the little container is only about three inches tall, I didn't have much space to work with.  I took pictures from several angles to capture the detail.  I think the finished product matches up with my dream well.