The Fool service went great! Arne and I arrived in time to set up the Juggling Fool we built, and found ourselves immediately gratified by the smiles on the ushers’ faces. The animatronic element worked perfectly (phew!), and in fact has now worked for far longer than at any time previously. My guess about the scale for the piece seemed fine for the space, and the palette worked well with the strong wall color. Most importantly, the piece did its job. Folks knew right away that something Foolish was up today.

There is so much to learn about community art. In terms of the ongoing process of growth and expansion I’m in, however, it’s not so much that there are tons of great design questions in this process. It’s the incredible glee I feel at meeting them all. It’s the joy at feeling them transform from quibbles into beloved guests at the feast.

Update: Ass Hat
It’s interesting to make an object that takes on a life of its own–literally, in the case of the Donkey mask I made for First Unitarian’s Christmas kids service last winter. Blake Magnusson is an actor and member of the church, and he’s now used the mask a bunch of times. He offered some feedback about the donkey-to-human transition I came up with–a cloth stapled to the donkey head that eliminated the animal’s neck. “Let’s cut it shorter,” he said, and I agree. In fact, having seen it in performance twice now, I think I need to rework the whole transition. And then put it back in circulation for next Christmas, or whatever the Worship Lab comes up with next.

Interesting! It’s so rewarding to see a piece find a place for itself.