Art Helps

...plus pics from a creative morning with Mother Mag in San Francisco and some crazy good Butterscotch Brownies.

Hi friends,

The world feels heavy lately and each time I look at the news or social media I seem to be left in tears! My friend Kelly has an art gallery in the Minneapolis area and has been talking about the idea that art helps. She just started the One Sheet Art Project to share art kits with families in her community that are in need. It’s a way to counteract fear with joy, and she makes everything available online. Like many moments in history, artists are responding. Musicians are writing songs that will go down in history, murals are being painted, posters are being designed and people are rage knitting.

Making art helps, but so does consuming it. Many museums were closed today as part of the national shutdown, but earlier this week I saw an exhibit at MMoCA that I can’t stop thinking about. It primarily featured paintings and lithographs of rural Midwestern life in the 1930s and ‘40s, however the artists were dedicated to a larger Regionalism movement looking at what role art can play in social reform. They hoped art would inspire personal reflection — but go beyond that to spark civic engagement. You can take a virtual tour of the exhibit by clicking below:

Making art and looking at art can calm the nervous system during upsetting times. So can being in community. And if you put those 2 together…it helps!

pigments at A Case for Making in San Francisco

A few months ago in San Francisco, I got to paint in community with several other mamas one morning at the inspiring art space, Case for Making. They make and sell the best watercolor supplies. The gathering was hosted by Mother Mag, which was an important creative community for me when I was starting out with The Forest Feast. Mother is an online magazine but they also host a lot of intentional, creative events to connect moms. (They even did a pregnancy style feature on me at the cabin before baby #1!)

Katie Hintz-Zambrano, founder of Mother, folded me into the community she has so thoughtfully cultivated and it was amazing to be back together in San Francisco…3 babies and 6 books later!

Next to their art store in San Francisco, Case for Making has a very cool art space for classes and workshops. The also have online workshops and an art marketplace where you can sell your own art, or buy art!

So fun to throw this creative morning gathering alongside Mother Mag founder Katie Hintz-Zambrano (center) and Case for Making co-founder Alexis Joseph (right).

Case for Making makes their own watercolor paints, and they made this cute dot card just for our gathering!

Katie invited a dynamic group of local Bay Area moms, many of whom run creative businesses. She thought about who might like to connect and meet each other — this is her superpower!

I picked much of the produce and florals at my parents’ house and my friend and artist Miquela of Great Honour Goods helped me arrange the table runner.

Then we all sat down and I led the group in some floral painting exercises, inspired by The Watercolor Feast.

Christina of Salo Salo created the MOST amazing spread of food by Little Sesame — it was truly artful and gorgeous! Drinks were provided by Aplos — so happy to have discovered this great N/A spirits brand!! We had a mingle and a snack before painting.

Christina’s beautiful grazing spread.

Now I’m just California dreamin’…but this week I stopped to appreciate golden magic hour on our little frozen lake here in Madison.

If you’re hunkering down in the cold like me, perhaps feeling down or overwhelmed, think about adding in a little art + community. Visit a museum with a friend or do some painting with your family. Also, bake these Butterscotch Brownies. Cooking helps, music helps, friends and family help, and art really does help.

xx

Erin

PS: Those Butterscotch Brownies are also called Blondies and they are from the Joy of Cooking. A friend made them and brought them over to my house this week and they were SO delicious. She uses the recipe as a base and makes additions — this time she added dates & almonds, plus a tiny bit of ginger and cardamom…and she highly recommends undercooking by 5 minutes!

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