I am in awe to be able to post this update: The Lifelines project has now been shared around the globe! When I envisioned this project, I had dreams that a few key things might happen:
- I would get to participate in a artistic project for which I had passion and that I would be able to share joy through the images. (Enough sadness out there for me).
- The project would raise awareness for organizations like Animal Trustees of Austin, which support animal welfare and the community.
- The images would be a catalyst for discussion about the importance of being open-minded in many areas of life. Open-mindedness is so important to me.
- The images and voices would resonate with people, be shared and make a difference, even if in a small way.
Through the support of community, the images and audio were first displayed at the J Clark gallery in Austin, Texas in the fall of 2012. Since then, a physical exhibit of the images has been shared via the following:
- Austin Texas, City Hall. Spring of 2013
- Los Angeles, CA. National Museum of Animals and Society exhibit titled, "My Dog is My Home" Winter/Spring 2013/2014. Small, "pop-up" exhibits of the work have been shown in Portland, Oregon and continue to be shared throughout California in this format. The images are part of an online exhibit as well at NMAS–They an incredible group of people doing important work.
Since the exhibit in Los Angeles, the project has been spread via online publications and continues to be shared throughout the world. A few of these publications are listed below:
- The Huffington Post
- Featureshoot.com
- MSN Malaysia
- MSN Ireland
- MSN Africa
- Italy
- South America and Columbia
- Japan
- PetaPixel
- Portugal
- Brazil
What all of this means for me personally and professionally is that the original list of dreams has been more than fulfilled. I am inspired by how it has taken on a life of its own and I am truly thankful for the opportunity to share it with so many people. I value the community that helped raise the funding for the original exhibit. In addition to individuals, we received generous support from Tomlinson's pet store, Dog Boy's Dog Ranch, Jess Glebe Design (for her donations of the web site design and printed materials) and J Clark Gallery. I am grateful for Gabrielle Amster for co-creating this project with me as animal advocate/photo shoot coordinator, assistant and audio producer.
Most importantly, I have gratitude for the people and animals who were open-minded enough to have their images and voices shared.
I'm looking forward to creating more imagery for which I have similar passion, in the near future.
To donate to Animal Trustees of Austin click here: