When the fires raged through my hometown of Chelan, WA two weeks ago, I reached out to my artist communities for support. I was gathering donation “perks” (or prizes) for an Indiegogo campaign designed to raise money for those experiencing the most profound of the devastation: homes lost, forest charred, livestock, wildlife and pets displaced and injured. Almost immediately, Theo reached out. “ I have a sculpture for your cause. It’s a dolphin.” When I saw the photos, I was awed. Theo has been collecting her parts for 14 years—combing junkyards and antique store back rooms for perfectly comprised hunks of copper, brass, aluminum, and cast-iron. But when I asked for an approximate value, his answer raised my eyebrow. “Well, I was going to ask Woody Harrelson for $10,000…but I suppose that was the 'movie star' price.”
Turns
out, Theo and Woody were neighbors once upon a time, working and
playing in their own ways on Maui. While the two never met in person,
Theo was friends with Woody’s cook and housekeeper. One day she brought
Theo’s portfolio in to show her boss. When Woody marveled at the
polished glory of reinvented junk, she told him, “I wish you could see
the piece he is working on right now, a dolphin.
It’s beautiful.” And Woody replied, “I’d love to look at it. Have him
let me know when it is done.”
Fast
forward 10 years, a thousand scrap metal searches, and a relocation to
Western WA state: Hey Woody, the dolphin is ready! And her name
is Hoover.
Now,
I don’t know Woody Harrelson, but as far as celebrities go, I feel like
we could be friends. A questioning, boundary-heaving,
environmentally-minded activist with a penchant for spontaneous
and silly? I’d like to have tea. And maybe it’s crazy, but I feel like
he just might be the kind of person who would respond to the quirky plea
of a desperate stranger.
So:
Dear Woody Harrelson,
Rumor has it, this
dolphin belongs with you. You were in the mind of the artist as he
slowly collected its components. Its baby-steps toward existence
occurred on a plot of
land abutting yours. And when the artist donated its gleaming form to
our fundraiser, he did so with your name, laughingly, upon his lips. You
already have one foot in our story, and I’d love to invite you the rest
of the way in. At ‘regular people price,’
obviously.
Washington state seems
perpetually on fire, Woody. You and I both know that the Earth is losing
patience with our mismanagement of her resources, of *her* art. The way
the West
burns seems a clear indicator for change. At the moment, however, my
grief is too great to look beyond the immediacy of this wildfire’s
aftermath—the people, wildlife, and loved animals that are displaced and
experiencing loss in my hometown. I don’t have much
in the way of money to contribute to the rebuilding, but I’ve got my
words to use, artist friends with generous hearts, and an incurable case
of 'the optimistic’.
If Hoover is your dolphin, Woody, let me know?
Love,
Chelan (and me, Murial)
If
you would like to participate in the effort to unite “Hoover” and
Woody, it’s as easy as sharing this message with your social networks in
whatever way you do—help us to create a trending story so that we are
able to get on the radar! If you are reading this and have a more direct
connection to Woody, and are able to share my message with him, my
heart would be so grateful, and our town would
love to thank you personally in kind.
"Grow
the Love: Supporting Chelan Fire Victims is a collaborative fundraising
effort of the grown children of Lake Chelan, WA. Through art,
storytelling,
and heart-centered reciprocity, we are doing what we can to help rebuild
the magic that made us! All donations above $25 are responded to with
an artful “perk”—handwritten thank you letters, jewelry, visual and
audio art, healing work and services! Check us
out:
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