Significant Exchange, 2020
Giving ritual in the time of Covid. Twenty people connect through gifting things of personal significance.
By invitation of Unfinished, Bucharest, Romania.
With support from Christine Carey and Isabella Nardini.
Twenty people — from Romania, Brazil, UK, Germany, US, and Spain — participated remotely from Sep 30 - Oct 2, 2020.
Bells from his homeland.
The working copy of the book he spent a year translating.
On how it felt to give.
A personal talisman she’s carried with her around the world.
On connecting.
One of the few paintings she’s ever made for herself.
A string of necklaces he’s giving away on his birthday.
On great gifts being things you didn’t know you needed.
A ceramic artwork she received from former students to remind her of the relationships they built together.
“I was once asked to teach a child development course for Mexican migrant workers. I let the college know that I didn’t really pay all that much attention during my three years of high school Spanish classes. They assured me that an interpreter would be available to translate. The translator they had in mind declined and we went four weeks with one bilingual student trying to translate for her fellow students which created difficulties for everyone. When we finally were provided a translator for the second half of the class and both the students & I cried as we could finally understand each other! The migrant college students were so excited to learn and share their experiences. I learned as much from them as I hope they learned from me. At the end of the class, they threw a surprise party for ME – yet they were the ones who had accomplished so much. They brought their authentic Mexican food and gave me a ceramic artwork so I would remember them – not that I could forget them after our experience together.”
