JULIE LAPPING RIVERA

Be A Ladder

Art in the Orchard, 2021

Artists: BZ Reily, Julie Lapping Rivera, Diane Travis

Inspired by Rumi’s poem:

Be a lamp

Or a lifeboat

Or a ladder

Help someone’s soul heal

Walk out of your house

Like a shepherd

The three of us met as art educators 20 years ago.  We recognized in one another a deep commitment to both teaching and art making. We’ve been supporting one another artistically and collaborating ever since. Though our work is very different visually, we share a belief in the power of art to heal the world, and in making art accessible to everyone.

In Be a Ladder, we engaged in a truly collaborative process, deciding on the themes we would address and making all decisions together about colors, placement of objects, engineering, and content.  Each of us brought our unique skills to the project - BZ as a found object artist, Diane as a fiber and installation artist, and Julie as a collage artist and printmaker. The process of collaboration is a little like dancing - you have to respond to the other person with grace and attention. As the process unfolded, we found our rhythm and the ability to truly  “play” together. Our musician friends call us “The Art Band” because that is exactly what musicians do!

After many months of working on the ladders indoors, when we brought the project out to the orchard to install, we were delighted to see them come to life in the landscape. They feel like a quirky, happy family to us, each ladder with its own personality!

We hope Be A Ladder will inspire you to go make art, and do good work in your life - don’t build walls - build ladders!