- A journey to a sacred place or shrine.
- A long journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.
The last time Joe & I went to Burning Man- which was my first time -I didn’t go with too many expectations other than I knew it would be hot & I would get to see some interesting art work, costumes & mutant vehicles. We drove across Wyoming & Utah & into Nevada- we didn’t have the air conditioning on because of the weight of the art project that we were towing & it was hot & windy. We had to drive much more slowly than we had originally planned so to get there in time we would camp around midnight & get up by 6:00 a.m. and I am a person who does not do well on less than 8 hours of solid sleep!! We picked up food in the places where we got gas- really, really gross (to me!) food. But the landscape was wide and open and slowly slowly the tensions of work & daily life began to drain away. At the Burning Man gate we were “welcomed home” by a man in a thong & a woman in leather – both had on cowboy hats and fake fur moon boots. We set up our piece on the playa well into the early morning, while the metal trees next to us breathed fire and the Pirate Ship mutant vehicle sailed past throbbing with techno music into our very souls and then there was the dragon lady & the alien & the mariachi band & the fire dancer & the Barbie Death Camp group & the naked yoginis & the mushroom cloud of fire & the wind & the dust storms & riding out across the playa under an endless sky of stars and the heat & the…..well, you get the idea!
We had a Bon Voyage party last night & I was asked “Now really why are you two doing this!?” Joe has spent months on Vishnus Dream along with volunteer help & donations from our good friends, yes….we will be sleep deprived & I hate techno music, the heat & dust storms are unpleasant, I really miss taking showers & having my own flush toilet but there is something about the experience of being in a strange land surrounded by beautiful, unusual art & fantastical people that opens us up to the wonders & possibilities of this world. I feel like the experience is a pilgrimage- I don’t know what will be discovered within this year but I look forward to finding out!! We leave on Friday -bon voyage!!
the mural painting crew:
the top piece lit up:
My “outfit” even matched one of the paintings- is that anything like buying a painting to match your couch?
Got inspired by paintings by 
I also visited Outsider artist, 
Writing with Thread features over 500 objects from the most inclusive collection of Southwest Chinese ethnic minority costumes in the world. Writing with Thread showcases the finest and rarest costumes from 15 ethnic groups and nearly 100 subgroups, exploring the meanings associated with the production and use of indigenous clothing. In societies without written languages, traditions and customs are orally passed form generation to generation. The textile arts, largely practiced by women, provide tangible evidence of a group’s history, myths, and legends. The signs and patterns woven or embroidered in their clothing and the ceremonial and ritual use of textiles are often replicated in the accompanying silver ornaments made by men. Photo, Right: Miao Woman’s Ensemble, Gejia style. From the exhibition Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities. Photo by Wang Lin-Sheng, courtesy of the Evergrand Museum, Taoyuan, Taiwan. This exhibition was curated by Angela Sheng, Assistant Professor of Chinese Art History at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from the collection of the Evergrand Museum, Taoyuan, Taiwan. The exhibition closes in Santa Fe on August 16, 2009.
