[ B Y J O H N P O W E R S ]
On May 19th, 2021 a piece of wood I was cutting on a table saw kicked back and dragged my left hand through the blade, severing my thumb and ring finger, as well as badly injuring my middle and index finger (I am right-handed). When I was wheeled into surgery I appealed to the people there, explaining that I am a sculptor:
“I think with my hands.”
I have worked for artists and as a sculptor myself since I was 19. As a young artist, my goal was to become an old artist. To grow old having made art the whole time. I remember describing my desire as wanting to hold a shape in my hand that had accompanied me the whole way. I had taken for granted that my hand would be growing old with me. Losing my thumb and ring finger was a shock, but surprisingly my mind almost immediately turned it into an opportunity as well. (Seriously, I was as surprised as everyone else.)
I realized almost immediately that I wanted to occupy my hand with ideas. To fill the gaps in my grip with art—objects we think about. I am not just looking to rebuild the way I use my left hand, but also a way to discover and connect to other artists. Artists I know and admire; artists I admire but don’t know, and also artists I might never have heard of otherwise.
One of the ways artists are discovered and discover each other is to participate in open calls for exhibitions. This is a different kind of open call, a different kind of request to participate. The Open Paw is intended to spark the imagination—of sculptors, designers, friends, art-crushes... on and on. The intention is to create a movable feast, an embodied gallery out of my left hand—affectionately called The Paw. The greater ambition is to share the work as art, in an actual gallery.
But first, I need to be able to pick things up and hold them.
Would you like to contribute your ideas?
If you are interested in contributing to the Open Paw, please sign up and let us know more about yourself and any ideas you might have for this project. We can then send you more information, including 3D models of my hands for reference.