Amy Youngs-Michelle
So, I wasn't able to go to any Wonder Women event, which is sad. I can also tell you that the state of Iowa roads is sad as well: pot holes, pot holes everywhere!
Anyway, the Walker lecture isn't up online yet, but as everyone had much to say about Amy Youngs in class, I decided to look up her work online and even found a video of her discussing her work (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6807617610545253312&q=amy+youngs&total=1013&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0).
I think hers is the work I've most connected to in this class...probably from the moment she mentioned 4-H (okay, I'm a bit biased toward fellow 4-Hers)! But even the fact that some of it was entirely functional, such as her compost table, made it more relatable and less standoffish than I find most art to be; I'm interested in composting, so this really caught my eye on her website (http://hypernatural.com/art.html).
And then I looked at her other new, collaborative work--an indoor hanging garden fountain that grows "edible and ornamental fish and plants in a constructed, indoor ecosystem"--and got really excited! There's a video, pictures, and full how-to at the website.
I find that this kind of art, art that moves toward a goal and has a concrete purpose while still being visually stimulating, resonates with the farm girl in me. It reminds me of that phrase: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without," because the entirety of Youngs' work seems to center around sustainability.
I really regret not being able to go to the lecture, but I am glad that I was able to look through some of her work and truly enjoy what I saw. Maybe I'll start an indoor hanging garden fountain of my own...someday.