let me hurl my questions of faith
against your wall
and see what sticks.
raw,
coarse,
consuming,
impolite,
questions.
what holds fast and what breaks free?
when it comes to love and war in the name of religion,
my cross is askew.
The Sun Magazine
Sincerely honored that Embodiment from The Silent Year projec, has been published in the May 2021 issue of The Sun Magazine.
One Twelve Publishing feature, Poignant Pictures
A very big thank you to One Twelve Publishing and Diana Nicholette Jeon for the spotlight on The Silent Year project. You can read the article in its entirety here:
https://onetwelvepublishing.com/blog/2021/pp26dsurratt
The Big Picture Colorado
So exciting to see Alchemy from the Silent Year project printed large, ready for wheat pasting on the side of the Redline Contemporary Art Center as part of the Big Picture Colorado in Denver. Thank you to Mark Sink for this thrilling opportunity.
it's been a year now
i miss the sound of an elevator door whooshing open and the loud ding of the bell that announces the floor,
the echo of people’s voices off of marble floors.
i miss the sound of dishes and glasses clinking as people dine
and the collective energy of people gathered together.
i miss the sound of the popcorn machine in the movie lobby
and the blaring intercom at the airport announcing flight departures.
the faint smell of someone’s cigarette as they sit and smoke on a stair stoop behind a restaurant during their break,
the taste of hot food from a restaurant kitchen.
i miss the varying decors of public spaces,
i miss museums and bookstores,
and most of all, i miss the arms of my daughter and my grandchildren
and my friends around me.
BETA Magazine
The Silent Year project published in BETA magazine, January 2021
Deep thanks to Jeff Moorfoot for featuring The Silent Year in BETA Developments in Photography Issue #38.
goodbye 2020
thank you to each and every one of you who teach me how to be a better human through your strength, your humor and your radical acts of kindness.
to the destruction and exposure of hard truths that this year has brought, thank you. it's been a challenge and will continue to be, but I have learned so much.
to the many lives lost and those in mourning, my prayers are for you.
here's to building a world with greater understanding, compassion and awareness.
Wishing you all peace and love in this new year.
dawn
i am a continuing story in 60 chapters
(thus far)
a cabinet of curiosities
locked doors and a twisted key
bellows and bloodlines
the storm on the sea
the day’s first light
the trickster hare
run rabbit run
The Infinite Churn
we become lost and found over and over again
in the time bending moments of any given day.
playing an endless game of hide and seek.
with splintered attention.
should we even bother to try and hold together the hundreds of tiny shards
of each day as it cracks open?
or learn how to be still as
the in betweens and underneaths
wrap around us.
the infinite churn.
Critical Mass Top 200, 2020
I am thrilled beyond to hear that The Silent Year was nominated for Critical Mass Top 200. I sincerely thank Photolucida and the pre-screening jurors and I congratulate all the very inspiring artists that share this honor.
The Silent Year Deck
The Silent Year project speaks to that mysterious inner emotional landscape that we turn to in times of transition and loss. I made it into a deck of 22 cards that can be used for meditation and contemplation. Each card represents a concept of inner transformation and is loosely based on C.G. Jung’s teachings. You can order a deck here: www.dawnsurratt.bigcartel.com
My very good friend Sal Taylor Kydd and I, have begun a project called Touchstones. It’s a mixture of images and poetry knitted together in the form of a blog and hopefully one day, a book. You can find us here: www.touch-stones.net
i clean a spider’s web from the window sill.
it’s an endless cycle
me
and she.
i tear it down.
she builds it back.
a temporary gain,
my gaze focuses beyond to the outdoor view in front of me.
maybe the sun will shine tomorrow.
every night, i dream of water…
negotiating the deep pool of unconsciousness that i find myself immersed in now.
i let the water wash over me,
i brace myself,
and slowly sink into it,
learning how to relax.
learning how to rescue myself.
damn, i'm getting old
My father had a great sense of humor. But I never thought it was funny when he couldn’t remember the date of my birthday. He would ask me, “What day is your birthday again?” when I told him, he would say “Damn, I’m getting old.”
We women though, we remember our children’s birthdates like our life depends on it. Because we don’t just birth a child, we birth a new identity. We birth ourselves as mothers.
Today my child turned 32 years old. She is a smart, kind and brave young woman. She is a woman that I am honored to know and honored to call my daughter.
Happy birthday, Justyne. Damn….I’m getting old.
R.K.V.R.Y. Magazine
Thank you to the North Carolina Literary Review for publishing my works alongside the beautiful words of Faith Holsaert in their latest publication. You can view the entire issue here: https://bit.ly/2SgIAjS
My first foray into crankie making launched at the opening for my two person show (en)compass with Lori Vrba in Durham, NC on October 17. Lori wrote the song Southern Wild, from which the story was based and she and Tama Hochbaum sang. It was such a blast!
Crankies are basically a panoramic scroll in a box that is usually lit from behind. They have roots around the world from the 19th century and are recently making a bit of a comeback. I learned a lot making this one and I will say crankies can definitely be a challenge but I’m really looking forward to making some more stories and developing my style. The scroll was printed from my photographs and is 14” tall and 245” long. I also made shadow puppets to play off the scenes. I think the puppets were my favorite.
Hope you enjoy it.
d
Blue Mitchell and his support and dedication to photographers and artists has been inspirational to me for many years. I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of the ten year celebration of this outstanding publication.
an old spool of thread squashed into pieces by the tires of many cars. a random find on a random back country road that i just happened to look down and pick up. an oracle of sorts.
hanging on by a thread.
I’m heading to the Portland Art Museum to speak on a light topic. If you’re in the Portland area, please come join me. Wednesday, June 19th, 2019, Noon - 1pm
Portland Art Museum
The Miller Gallery, Mark Building
1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205
503 226 2811
Cost: Free to the public