CAM Exhibits

Cameron Art Museum is located in Wilmington, North Carolina. In previous years, the museum held an end-of-the-year Illumination festival and competition, in which artists from all over the country could submit proposals for a lantern design to be exhibited from December to January. Each year from 2020 to 2022, I teamed up with artist Helen Seebold to submit a lantern design. Our proposal was accepted all three years, and our 2021 design won second place on opening night!

Visit the Cameron Art Museum website and find more of Helen's work on her website.

Universal Soul - Illumination 2022

For a third year in a row, our lantern design (Universal Soul) was chosen to be a part of the annual Illumination festival. There was no specific theme for the lanterns during this particular year, and artists were encouraged to be creative and experimental with their designs. Universal Soul uses the color and texture of paint to explore how light can illuminate objects. Once again, our lantern is inspired by Buddhist/Hindu ideas, specifically chakras, to explore the unity of the universe and humanity.

Self-Renewal - Illumination 2021

For the 2021 Illumination festival, we submitted a proposal for Self-Renewal, which was accepted and won second place! The theme for that year's competition was rebirth and renewal, so we wanted to explore the idea of personal rebirth with our sculpture. The silhouette of the female head is made out of foam board and a variety of other materials, which was then spray painted to look like stone. The 3D brain in the center is made out of paper and has many different symbols cut into the geometric surfaces. These symbols represent the experiences and knowledge that can lead to one’s personal rebirth; they are a variety of both cultural and natural elements that represent renewal such as scarab beetles, lotus flowers, butterflies, feathers and starfish.

~ Second Place Winner ~

"Light is of paramount importance to all beings. The sun, our main source of light, allows for all existence here on Earth, the moon reflects the sunlight, illuminating night skies. The energy of the entire universe is measured in light. Exploring these themes of universal energy and earthly light, our illuminated painting features a Tree of Life at the center; its branches reaching ever outward to the universe and its roots extending deeply into the earth. A sun, a moon and the symbols for a heart chakra and mind chakra (chakra symbols are used in the Buddhist tradition to illustrate how light energy flows through our bodies) are present at each of the four corners of the illuminated painting. The symbol for the soul chakra is placed at the center of the Tree of Life uniting the light energy of nature and humanity, the very essence of the universal soul." - Excerpt by Helen Seebold

"As reflected by the symbols cut into the geometric surfaces of the brain in this sculpture, our everyday interactions: meeting new people, revisiting old friends, connecting with nature, experiencing different cultures, and acquiring more knowledge about the world around us; expand our mind, renew our mental state and reinvigorate our spirit. Self Renewal reflects on how that in turn can lead to our own rebirth." - Excerpt by Helen Seebold

Enlighten - Illumination 2020

2020 was the first year that we submitted a lantern design to Illumination, and our design was accepted. Enlighten, pictured below, is a glazed and fired clay bonsai tree with a lantern hanging from its center. The lantern is created from ink jet paper as well as plastic binding covers and features Buddhist inspired cutouts on all four sides. The overall lantern has a Japanese and Buddhist aesthetic; all aspects were handcrafted.