LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY JUG ARTWORK WITH BROKEN MADONNA HEAD

Today I am sharing a detail of one of my Memory Jug creations entitled, "A Bone to Pick." The porcelain head of the Madonna was a piece I found in a trashcan at a roadside shrine. Yes, the statue had broken and the shrine cleaned up, but this was my lucky day to find this "shard". This Madonna face made the most perfect centerpiece to my memory jug, and I used other found items to construct her body and surround her with antique doll parts. 

Do you want to learn how to make a Memory Jug? On February 16-17, 2013, I am offering a two-day weekend workshop making small memory jugs using one of the traditional styles popular during the Victorian Era, when making memorial jugs and other forms came into vogue in the Eastern and Southern regions of the United States. It has remained one of the most enigmatic folk art forms since the 1800s.

My special guest workshop will be held at the art studio of popular mosaic artist, Susan Wechsler, in Boulder, Colorado. We are planning a limited series of Memory Jug / Memoryware workshops at Susan's studio in 2013.

To sign up for this special workshop, or to learn more about the details, contact Susan Wechsler at: susan.wechsler@gmail.com or 303-485-0636. You can also write directly to me at: lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com

If you can't make it to my live workshop in February, I always offer my instructional  MEMORY JUG BOOK CD for sale from my blog. Click on the photo or link, or email me to receive your copy for $20 plus shipping/handling.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS MEDICINE WHEEL NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK SACRED OFFERINGS IN THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN WYOMING

I took my summer sojourn to visit the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming this past weekend. I am drawn to sacred sites and I knew that this would be a meaningful place to photograph after seeing a website photo of the rope fence decorated with colorful offerings. The cloth packets, bandanas, beads, and feathers hanging on the rope fence were left by the 81 indigenous Indian tribes who visit the Medicine Wheel. The guard told me that the tied up packets contain tobacco, sage, and cedar. I need to research this tradition, as I have never seen these beautiful handmade offerings before, many of which look like bouquets of roses. 

This ancient site, believed to be 700 years old, contains an 80-foot diameter wheel of stones radiating with 28 spokes and six rock cairns. Vandalism has caused the astrologically-aligned wheel to be recently fenced in from tourists, although native people are still allowed entry inside the wheel. To me, the fence and its abundant offerings dominated the solemness of the white rocks on the earth, and commanded most of my visual attention.

The drive from Fort Collins to northern Wyoming took one short day. We rented a quaint old cabin in the historic district of Buffalo, and the next morning spent the day exploring the Bighorns on Scenic Byway 14A heading west out of Sheridan. The scenery was idyllic. Spying three moose on the way there was a good omen. Medicine Wheel, which resides at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, hangs precipitously over the deserts of Western Wyoming. The mandatory three-mile hike was a bit of a chore for me at that elevation, but plenty of pikas and marmots kept me company along the rocky route. Medicine Wheel is well worth the effort.

For more information: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/usa/bighorn-medicine-wheel

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTOS OF LA VIRGEN DE LA SOLEDAD STATUES IN OAXACA

La Virgen de la Soledad is one of the most popular saints
sold in Oaxaca's religious stores near the Bascilica.
Made of clay and plaster, they are often seen on graves in
Oaxaca's municipal cemetery, the San Miguel Panteon.
This statue is still in excellent condition.

A plaster weather-worn Virgen stands disintegrating
inside a locked wrought iron grave nicho.

A clay Virgen losing its paint around its face.

A portable Virgen de la Soledad stands in the courtyard of the

Basilica de la Soledad. This patron saint of Oaxaca is

venerated every year on December 18.  After prayers, gifts of flowers, 

lighting of candles, and the ritual touching of her robes,

the Virgen is paraded back into the church.

In honor of my previous Sunday's post, I am sharing more images of La Virgen de la Soledad—the patron saint of Oaxaca, Mexico. She has her own church, the Basilica de la Soledad in Oaxaca City, which is considered the most important religious site in the entire state. La Virgen is my most favorite of the Mexican virgins. I love her stylized triangular shape. And her robes are black, gold, and silver, colors I adore. La Virgen de la Soledad is one of the most popular saints sold in Oaxaca's religious stores surrounding the Bascilica. Made of clay and plaster, they are frequently seen on graves in Oaxaca's municipal cemetery, the San Miguel Panteon. Above are three Virgens in various states of disintegration. Click on each of my photos to see the details in a larger format. To see my photos of this famous Virgen click on my earlier post.

Architecturally, the Basilica is known for its 79 ft high Baroque facade and its heavily gilded interior. It was built between 1682 and 1690 to house the holy image of the Virgin of Solitude (Soledad). The main statue stands inside the church, decorated with 600 diamonds and topped with a 4 lb gold crown. Her vestments are encrusted with pearls. In the 1980s, robbers removed her jewel-studded crown. She now has a replica of the original and stands in a glass-covered shrine. Many locals come to pray before the image, as she is believed to have the power to heal and work miracles. A major festival on December 18 honors the Virgin, attracting the faithful from all over Oaxaca. The last photo above shows the religious store directly across the street from the Basilica with many Virgins on display in the window. 

For more information about this sacred site: Basilica de la Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN CEMETERY PHOTO COMPOSITES OF MEXICO AND SOUTHWEST

Photos by Laurie Beth Zuckerman

Cemetery images are my thing, when it comes to photography. (And altars, churches, roadside shrines, etc.) I have been taking photos in graveyards since I graduated from college. Originally I ventured into the two pioneer graveyards in Eugene, Oregon to study the wild and cultivated flowers, and then later on to paint watercolors while I was in graduate school at the university. I got hooked immediately and have been visiting cemeteries everywhere I have traveled since, accumulating hundreds of photos which I regularly browse through for inspiration. Few of my images actually make it into frames, except when I am having an exhibit of my artwork, as these photos go so well with my home altars and installations. More of them make their way into Powerpoint lectures I give at museums, libraries, or universities, especially for Día de los Muertos. The best photos will eventually make their way into self-published books that I have been working on for the past several years. There are so many that I cherish.

The first photo above is a digital composite using a grave from New Mexico and "inserting" an image of a Madonna from Colonial Mexico to appear behind the glass of this shallow nicho. The second image uses the same grave "window" and displays an image I photographed in an old roadside chapel nearby in Northern New Mexico. I love this image because of the bird especially. It is from an image on a processional banner that I have never seen elsewhere. I assume this is the boy Jesus. A Mexican tile picture of the Santo Nino de Atocha is mounted on the outside of the chapel. The photos below show this chapel in La Manga. I felt so lucky to photograph this church altar and study all of the popular Catholic images and statues honored in this chapel.

Please visit my dear friend, Rebecca Brooks at Recuerda Mi Corazon for her weekly "Postcards from Paradise" postings by artists from around the world.

Processional banner in La Manga Chapel

Processional banner sits at the altar of the chapel

A view of the whole tiny chapel

La Manga Chapel, Northern New Mexico