Community . Collaboration . Engagement
A Place to Pause
“I have found a new way to use nature’s beauty to access difficult emotions – the challenging times in our human history and offer a place to pause and find some solace.”
KATHY GORE FUSS
MY JOURNEY
My name is Kathy Gore Fuss, and I am a visual artist living in Olympia, Washington. As the death toll from the pandemic increased to unimaginable numbers, I found myself unable to work as a studio artist; I was emotionally overwhelmed. One evening while watching a special report on the PBS Newshour, one of the doctors interviewed explained the massive losses the world was dealing with; the enormity of the grief that humanity was trying to cope with. I remember writing down these words that he said – “we will need places to mourn.”
A PLACE TO MOURN
I decided I would create floral memorials in my hometown to honor our community’s need to pause, reflect and grieve our collective losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. My first installation (“A Place to Mourn”) was self-funded and completed in May 2021 in my own NE Olympia neighborhood. The site location was outdoors, on a friend’s property, and near a street with high foot traffic. Fresh flowers were attached and wrapped around a stone sculpture. Garlands were hung in a circle from a huge walnut tree encircling a bench for visitors to sit, write in a journal, read a poem, and light a candle. The fresh flowers lasted 26 days, and the community members were overwhelmingly moved by the gift, gesture, and installation.
A PLACE TO REFLECT
I created a second memorial, “A Place to Reflect,” in September 2021 in a neglected pocket park in Olympia’s Northwest neighborhood. The installation created an opportunity for the Neighborhood Association, neighbors, and families to revitalize a valuable gathering space returning it to its original stature. I contacted twelve of my friends and art collectors to help fund this installation, and they generously responded with the $1,200 that was necessary. The responses from my community have been tremendous.
A PLACE TO PAUSE
The third piece was installed in downtown Olympia at Childhood’s End Gallery from June 17 through July 31, 2022, titled “A Place to Pause.” I hope that as we try to engage in a new normal, we take time to pause in our lives, giving ourselves the chance to value and appreciate the connections we all have to a worldwide community. Help me transform our grief through beauty and experience.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The installations I’ve pursued during the three years of the Pandemic (2020 – 2022) were designed with collaborative engagement at their core. Community members were invited and encouraged to participate through hands-on experience, making components that were combined into a larger installation. The participants' involvement gave them the awareness that by volunteering their energy to projects like these, they are naturally deepening their sense of pride in their community.
“I visited your Place today, in the rain. What a gesture of human longing. A celebration of vulnerability. Thanks for your honest and loving work.”
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
Magic happens when two or more gather—join in.
Kathy Gore Fuss | (360) 790-0299 | Kathy@aplacetopause.org