The Nereid Beckon
The Evanston Art Center--Evanston, Illinois
June 2008 thru May 2009
Dimensions:  Each of the five structures are 16 feet
long by 6 feet wide by 4 feet in height

Materials: PVC tubing, PEX tubing, wood, screws,
L.E.D. lights, corks, polycarbonate corrugated
sheeting, approximately 5,500 plastic wine bottles,
approximately 3,000 of them stuffed with translucent
messages written by young and old alike from the
Evanston Community.  I asked them to share their own
reflection of living next to Lake Michigan in the form
of writing, poetry or drawing.

The Nereid are mythological sea creatures similar to
nymphs/mermaids that help guide sailors in safe
passage as they navigated the turbulent seas.  The
project reflects on the amazing and tragic history of
shipwrecks such as the Lady Elgin off this particular
stretch of coast and how the lighthouse came in to
being because of it
after the civil war (the lighthouse is directly to the
right of the art center mansion).  Ultimately, most
people have a strong and mysterious gravitation toward
being near the some form of water, whether it is a
lake, a river or an ocean.  All of the five
structures point toward the lighthouse and illuminate
at night from within.  It will be on view through
the end of May of 2009

More information on this project can be seen at
www.evanstonartcenter.org click on Sculpture on the
Grounds.