A Language from Beyond Joy

Installation by Lisa Lofgren with guest ceramicists Mariko Brown Harkin and Justin Hay

A Language from Beyond Joy

As monumental changes occur in our lives, we are able to take the opportunity to evaluate the past self from a new perspective. We can discover more about ourselves with new priorities and new challenges. We may also face the dilemma of figuring out what aspects of ourselves we can’t let go of, what we won’t compromise, and what defines us.

Creating the works exhibited allowed me to pull from my past and my present to continue grappling with who I am in the death of my past self after giving birth. Two concepts stood out: First, I long to travel, and I hold exotic landscapes of my past in revery. Second, I find moments everyday that connect my present to those significant pastimes. 

Working on an organic vegetable farm serves as a unifying metaphor throughout the works. The farm provides nourishment to the body and mind. It is dependant upon cycles, seasons, and dormancy. It is at once completely orchestrated and completely unpredictable. It is knowing when to be patient and when to act fast. It is a constant learning experience. The same could be said regarding the two roles that I feel most define me: 

the practice of being an artist and the practice of being a mother.

Writings throughout the exhibit were pulled from The Essential Rumi translated by Coleman Banks. The show title was pulled from the following with slight modifications for personalization:

I sit in front of [her] in silence,

And set up a ladder made of patience, 

And in [her] presence a language from beyond joy 

and beyond grief begins to pour from my chest.

I know that [this] soul is as deep and bright

As the stars rising over [the valley’s edge].