Linda Hubbard Lalande – Earliest Fertility Goddesses

Description

Artist Statement

I have always been a storyteller. Born in Memphis but raised in the original Storyville—New Orleans—I grew up as a little spitfire, spending time at the feet of the old folks, mingling with artists and intellectuals in the French Quarter, absorbing countless well-woven tales. Little wonder all I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a storyteller.

While my storytelling initially meant drawing and photography, higher education opened up a whole new world, leading me to degrees in Ceramics and Painting from Louisiana State University followed by an MFA in Fine Arts/ Religious Studies/Sacred Dance from the University of Montana (U of M). Early artistic influences include ceramic instructors Joe Bova, Howard Yana Shapiro, Clayton Bailey, Rudy Audio; painters Michael Diven, Peter Dean and Edward Avedisian; conceptual artists Dennis Oppenheim and Terry Fox; Contact Improvisation dancer Nita Little and Gypsy/Sacred dancer Elenita Brown. Current influences include Earthwork artist Andy Goldsworthy and Life Art Process dancer Anna Halprin.

Passion for spirituality and its artful place in my work was jump-started by exposure to Pre-Colombian and other indigenous art and by the study of Raku, with its practice of the Zen Tea ceremony and meditation. With U of M’s close proximity to the lands of the Blackfoot, I relished the opportunity to learn about their art and oral traditions. My fascination with their integral and intimate relationship to animals and nature, shamanism and ceremony was palpable. Native American rituals and ceremonies became my vernacular, thanks to Religious Studies classes with scholar Dr. Joseph Epes Brown. He became my MFA committee chair and helped me bridge the intersection between shamanism and sacred arts, foundational in indigenous traditions.

My art making became an organic integration of storytelling, using my body and multimedia materials. I continue to evolve, experimenting with improvisational movement, spoken word and sound within 3-dimensional sculptural environments and 2-dimensional paintings, drawings and photographs. My work intends to personalize the mystical/spiritual realm, drawing the viewer into a meditative state. Many pieces require community to create and exist only for a brief moment in time during the process of creation. Once complete, I document, then allow to disintegrate or disassemble, communicating impermanence as part of their life cycle. Tibetan sand mandalas are key influence.