Honoring the Cosmic Body

from All Things are Always Changing: Divinations

We have updated some of our Divinations and were pleased to find another photographer, Bill Durgin, who honors the human body. " The physical structure becomes not just a shell, but a moving sculpture of skin, muscle, fat, and bone."

Photographer: Bill Durgin

Proof of Wisdom

from Busts: All Things Are Always Changing

The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain by New York Times science editor Barbara Strauch overviews the latest findings of high-tech brain scans and psychological testing that demonstrate cognitive expertise reaching its peak in middle age. Although distractions and oversights may more easily prey on the mind, the continued growth of myelin (or white matter) increases problem-solving skills, pattern recognition, and even wisdom....we suspected as much.

Considering Longevity and Wisdom

C.J. Gunther for the New York Times Calibrated to make the wearer, in this case the student Katii Gullick, experience old age, the Agnes — short for the Age Gain Now Empathy System — has harnesses and bands that restrict joint and limb movements.

Wisdom and maturity do have their rewards, but physical aging brings none. Now the youthful can step into our frumpy shoes. The Age Gain Now Empathy System (AGNES) comes from the M.I.T. AgeLab, where researchers designed the suit to help product designers and marketers better understand older adults and create innovative products for them.

One advantage of the consumer culture our longer-lived generation has created: a recognition of the staying power of the mature market.

John Klavitter, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Consider longevity and wisdom of other species....and empathize.

The albatross named Wisdom is the oldest know wild bird in the United States. First banded in 1956, her age is thought to be 60 years old. After her annual 50,000 mile migration flight, she has recently begun raising what is thought to be her 30th to 35th chick.

Celebrate the 100th International Women's Day

Odalisque from Glory on a Budget: A Domestic Mythology, 1980

"The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation..." and yet there remains a long laundry list of hopes for the future.
This year's International Women's Day celebration is focused on work — and making sure women across the world have access to the training and technology necessary to be a part of the global economy.

At Her Age

Dialogues with Michelangelo in the At Her Age exhibit at A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, December 3, 2010-January 6, 2011.
Participating artists (l to r) Abigail Simon, Margaret Mary Downey, Martha Wilson of Franklin Furnace who curated the exhibit, and Barbara Ciurej. The opening was crowded and friendly and Mother Teresa (performance artist Linda Montano) was there to bestow blessings on those who made the art pilgrimage.

Stronger Spiral Divination

This spiral, which recalls fractal images, is more dense than our original idea. It takes us all the way back to our first grandmothers.

Re-stating Divinations

Adjusting these images so figurative components are touching better expresses the idea of the individual merging into a great cosmic configuration.