Update on Mandalas for Marinke Remembrance Project

Tomorrow is the last day of the month, which means that I’ll be sharing the links to all of the Mandalas for Marinke posts that went up in March. You can see all of the posts that have gone live so far on the Mandalas for Marinke page. So I thought it was a good time to give you an update on where things stand with this ongoing depression awareness project.

Continuing Daily Posts

Believe it or not, there are still many more contributions to be catalogued and photographed and uploaded into this blog for the Mandalas for Marinke project. When I started this, I had no idea how many people would be moved to contribute. I was humbled by every contribution, and I am working hard to give each mandala its day in the sun. In fact, I’m spending about sixty hours per month on this project, just getting everything photographed and ready and uploaded here with depression awareness information.

I’ll be continuing this work in April. I’m not sure how many contributions there are but my goal is to get all of them photographed and uploaded as blog posts by the end of June 2016. There are a few reasons that I’ve set this as a goal:

• June is the anniversary of Wink’s suicide, and I think it’s an appropriate time to end this portion of the project.
• The first of the mandala contributions was posted in early July, so that will be almost a solid year of daily posts, which I think is an amazing collection of mandalas that honor Wink’s work, stories that you all have generously shared with the world, and information to help people become more aware of all facets of depression.
• It’s time to move on to the additional portions of this project!

I’m not sure how many mandalas are left to catalog. I suspect that there may be more than the 90 that it would take to post daily in April, May and June. If that turns out to be the case, I’m planning to double down on posts and do more than one daily to complete the goal of having all posts up by the end of June.

Crochet Mandalas Book

So, what’s next? Well, one major thing will be to do the layout and publication of the Mandalas for Marinke book. This is going to be a full-color coffee table book showcasing all of the mandalas. The emphasis will be on the photos but there will also be information and stories collected throughout the year that the project has been in the works on this blog. Once published, several copies of the books will be sent (at no charge of course) to Marinke’s family members who have shown interest in the project. Copies will also be available for sale with a portion of the proceeds going towards depression awareness. More information about that will follow as the time approaches.

As far as a timeline … All posts will be up by the end of June, so the book layout will begin in early July. Once I start the process, I’ll have more information about how it’s all going to go. I may actually need to get additional assistance for several portions of this. First of all, I’m going to need to lay out all of the mandalas together and get photograph the entire collection. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to see them all together. It’s also very daunting. I need to:

• Find a space that can hold that many mandalas (which is no small feat in San Francisco where space is limited)
• Get help from volunteers to physically move the mandalas to that space and lay them out for photographing
• Get photography help from someone who has better equipment than I do in order to capture such a large format project

And that’s just getting the photos done. I may need additional help with the actual layout of the book or at the very least a second set of eyes to help me edit it all. We’ll see. I’m admittedly a little bit overwhelmed by what I’ve committed to, but I have faith that my community will come together and make this all happen with me. I’m taking it one step at a time, and if I need help when I start laying it all out in early July then I’ll let people know that!

Mandalas for Marinke Art Show

Happening alongside of the book is the art show, where all of the mandalas will be displayed. Ideally, the book will be ready before the show and will be available there. Ideally, there will be some community crafting spaces and some crochet lessons for people who want to make mandalas at the event. It’s all still in the works. In fact, I have to secure the space.

I’m disappointed to announce that I did not receive the artist residency that I’d hoped to get to realize this project. I was really certain that I was a good match for what they were seeking but apparently there were other applicants that were a better match. I found out the news in early March and I really struggled with a bit of overwhelm. My hope had been that the residency would provide space as well as support to make the art show happen. I have to revamp plans since that didn’t happen.

So, in early July, when I begin the book, I’ll also be finalizing the details on a space for the art show. I have a few options, and I just need to figure out the best way to move forward. You’ll know as soon as I do. And again, I may seek volunteer support, so when I know what I need, I’ll let people know how they can help.

Mini Mandalas Deadline: April 3oth

I do know that whatever I end up doing with the art show, I’ll be handing out mini mandalas at that event as well as through the mail and in other situations. These mandalas are designed to give people hope, inspiration and strength in any time of need. Anyone who wishes to contribute mini mandalas can send as many as they wish but they must be postmarked by 4/30/16. All details here.

Where We Stand

So to recap, I’m working as hard as I can on this project, trying to continue taking it in bite-sized chunks because it’s a little bit overwhelming at times but I believe wholeheartedly in the mission of it and in the heart that each one of you contributors put into your part of it. I’m going to spend the next three months wrapping up the posting of all mandalas on the blog to raise depression and suicide awareness. Then I’ll move on to creating the book and art show. There will be an update in mid-late summer about the progress of each of those things, and information for interested volunteers.

And After That?

Once the show is complete, I’ll have all of these mandalas. The current plan is to spend 1-2 years exhibiting the mandalas in various shows throughout the world. This will spread the project to new areas of the globe, raising awareness about issues related to depression and suicide in various venues, honoring Wink’s work and life and the stories of each of the contributors, and letting people know about the health benefits of crochet. Beyond that, we’ll see!