Gold Christian LaCroix
Journal Brief
YEAR: 2016
START DATE: July 22, 2016
END DATE: December 25, 2016
Gold as a symbol - both of divinity and superficiality and artifice. Which is it? Suicide of Jack E. Davis, friend, fellow illustrator/artist. From here to there collages. John Katz open heart surgery. Many mantram/prayer pages for friends and family. 29 Pieces working with Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza for planning of Pulitzer Centenniel event in Dallas at Texas theatre. War photographers. David Kennerly, Carol Guzy, Nick Ut, Heidi Levine, David Leeson, Bob Jackson. Cousin Bill Lohr’s tractor accident. Prayers for focus, energy, enthusiasm. Chart of the bowl of joy. Block negatives. Completion of Piece 24. Messaging for Pulitzer Centenniel event. Stress of it all. The back and forth of it all. Stress, joy, obstacles, fulfillment. On and On. Wanting it/myself to be different. More calm. Maybe it will never be. It’s unnerving to people when I show frustration or anger. Slow. Curious. Joy. Intelligence. Bright. Joyful. Something magical. Something beautiful. One obstacle or problem after another with installation of Piece 24 sculpture. Terrible pain, little sleep. Agitation and despair about the Hillary/Trump election. The mudslinging, the irresponsible press coverage. Musings on Donald Trump. Certain he would lose. Mercy or condemnation? Despair about what might be ahead for the country. Despair about friend’s deaths or major surgeries. Difficulties with an artist working on Piece 24. More prayers/mantrams. Human beings - divine flames or cancer upon the earth? Divided country and flashbacks to the 1960’s of my dad, grandfather, uncles and me yelling at one another. Installation of Piece 24 happening in aftermath of Trump election. So many mingling emotions. Fury, despair, disbelief, sickening realization of what’s ahead. Sputtering overload of emotions. All this with major challenges to public art installation. Working trying to represent the ideals of 29 Pieces in the throes of eruptions of fury about the racist, mysoginist elected to the White House. Palpable fury at all situations. On the ledge. Vicki Millican’s terrible accident - she fell through the ceiling of her daughter’s garage onto a concrete garage floor, 12 feet below. Massive internal injuries. Call all angels. Calling all power to restore Vicki Millican. And in the midst of all this - I’ve been named Peacemaker of the Year. I tried to bring peace, while feeling like a volcano inside. When you try to kill the human spirit, it gets its revenge with beauty. How deep is the outrage? How deep is the love?
Intense, intense period of personal grieving, worry, pain, stress. State of almost constant prayer and questioning. Jack E. David suicide. John Katz heart surgery. Pulitzer Centenniel event that 29 Pieces hosted with the Sixth Floor Museum. I was in constant, bad pain in my legs. Vicki Millican’s fightening accident. Trump election. Respect Project. Details of the Piece 24 installation. Named Peacemaker of the Year from the Dallas Peace and Justice Center.
See life events above. Heavy load of work with 29 Pieces projects, public scupture. Escalating fury and outrage at the Trump/Clinton election and results. Outrage about hatred of women openly on display, along with racism, cruelty, backsliding.
Piece 24 installation. Respect Project. Pulitzer Centenniel event co-hosted by 29 Pieces and the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Illusion and Disillusion: Pulitzer Prize winning photographers - at the historic Texas Theatre where Oswald was captured after President Kennedy’s assassination.