I am always amazed at the power of instantaneous connection. The moment I met Joelle Provost at a diner in Brooklyn Heights is a perfect example. A wide-eyed young artist/art teacher, she struck me right away as a powerful force, one I wanted to get to know. I shortly thereafter visited her on the wide porch of the Ditmas Park Victorian she was living in with other artists to view her work, and I knew my instincts were correct: this young woman is gifted with a great vision, and the power to change things for the better through her extraordinarily impactful art.
We've talked before on this podcast, but I needed to bring Joelle back on to discuss her latest project, the building of The Whale Sarcophagus, a large-scale collaborative sculpture project which commemorates the life of nine Pacific Gray Whales who tragically washed up near where she lives in San Francisco during Spring of 2019. Some were hit by ships, but the majority died of malnutrition as a result of human actions such as littering, as well as climate change. Building a sarcophagus based on the Ancient Roman burial practice as an homage to the aquatic mammals is Joelle's rallying cry for personal responsibility. And the collaboration it will require fulfills her own sense of responsibility to help employ other artists during Covid, a la (she says) FDR's crucial society-building New Deal.
Our conversation is focused around the important themes raised in the creation of The Whale Sarcophagus, themes of the empowerment of individuals, the ability each one of us has to create the world we want to see, and the power of art to create necessary change. Listen in. And visit JoelleProvost.com to learn how you can support this amazing project.