Artist and Writer, ANN GOMMERS, presented
“LIFE
WRITTEN IN STONE: The Magic of Picture Rocks”
Ann
Gommers entertained our 65 members
and guests with a compelling story about the 2006 transfer of part of her
family’s land back to the Passamaquoddy Tribe. It was a significant event
because the land holds the largest petroglyph site on the Atlantic Coast in
Maine.
To open her presentation Ann used
the “Time Compression Method,” taught by Mark Travis, to condense her bio into
a three minute story. Photographs by her
husband Peter made Ann’s presentation visually compelling as well.
To commemorate the transfer she and
the daughter of the Tribal Chief, also an artist, launched The Equinox
Petroglyph Project (www.equinoxpetroglyphproject.com)
which resulted in over 100 works of art being created, interpreting the
petroglyphs from a female and child’s perspective. The Exhibition traveled throughout the State
of Maine for three years.
Ann also told of her family’s
efforts to rejuvenate the nearly lost culture of the Passamaquoddy (only 1500
survive today from the original 40,000) by bringing three Elders from the
Ojibwe Nation to Maine to teach and reacquaint the Passamaquoddy with their nearly
lost traditions.
Ann also shared the photographs that
her husband took of the usually buried petroglyphs at the Haleiwa end of Sunset
Beach. They last appeared in full form in 2005, so they have not been studied
as much as other petroglyphs in the State of Hawaii.
The audience expressed their
appreciation by giving Ann Gommers a long and heartfelt applause.
Here are some pictures of the meeting.
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