Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Curating

The mail came today and for the very first time... no "Jane was here". For forty days we've been getting daily (well, except for Sundays) notes and cards and paintings and even trees. (Really! We've gotten two -- well, one started out as an acorn but now is a little sprout with four leaves -- and they're still alive.) Wanna see where they've come from?


A dozen countries, five provinces and 46 states. Isn't that something? (Hawaii, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia were no shows. Not that I'm pointing fingers. Ahem. Oh, hey, if any of you had cards returned and are up for trying again, you can address them to the Greene family [we bought the house from a family whose last name is one letter off from mine and mail is STILL being forwarded incorrectly 18 months later. Oops.].) But the map -- isn't that cool? Look at you all!

So, what do I do now? Some deserve framing, and all deserve a place somewhere. Some kind of scrapbook-y something or other? A box doesn't seem quite right. They need to be somewhere special, each in its own deserved spot. They need curating, is my point. Any and all suggestions are most welcome. MOST welcome. Please.

While you invisible readers brainstorm, I'm going to start counting and do a little rough organizing. By place of origin? Size? Medium? I mean, there are cards and canvases and postcards and Post-its. Hoo boy. I may not be German enough for this one.*

All right, everyone. Get to work! Goooooo Team Jane!



* Tom accuses me of being overly German when I get particular about things. Just because my books are shelved alphabetically by author within their subject is no call for him to mock my ancestry. It's not like I use the Library of Congress classification system. Or even Dewey Decimal. It's more like living in a used bookstore. It's TOTALLY REASONABLE. It's practically a public service. We'd never find anything around here if there weren't a system of some kind. Hmph.

11 comments:

mommatosena said...

LMAO!!! I can totally relate to the German traits and I have only recently began to embrace them again as an adult and yes a system of some sort is necessary. Men and women don't see that the same. I think dirty laundry should go I dunno in the dirty laundry. The hubby thinks that any chair will do. So starting the brain on a way of curating although a box would be my initial suggestion!! LOL That is a lot of stick pins! I think I see ours and it looks like someone near me as well! Cue Its a Small World....

Cindy said...

Oh dear Tia - PLEASE come visit and help me with my books!!! PLEASE!! I'll babysit. I'll knit. I'll fingerpaint. I'll cook you wonderful organic meals out of my garden.

PLEEEEEEZE!!

Cindy said...

Oh - and I see my pin on the map!!

:)

mommatosena said...

Cindy I can't organize but I can eat yummy meals and you can borrow my small kids! where is your pin?? Inquiring minds want to know!!

Grace said...

I can't see my individual pin as it's in the middle of that big New England clump, but WOW!

Jane was here.

Lauren Snyder said...

I have been following your story for some time now and I sent a card awhile back and I am sad to not see a pin smack in the middle of Illinois. A pin that might suggest you got my card... :( The thought is with you even if my card didn't make it across the country! Neat idea with the map!

tia said...

Fixed! I checked the map, and lo and behold there was a hole near Peoria. New pin inserted, and the universe is balanced once more.

Cindy said...

Margot - the panhandle of North Florida!!

Come on down!

I'm building a labyrinth ... come walk!

Rasp said...

Tia, as I wrote on TT, I'd think about how you most want to be able to view them in the future as the main guiding principle in the archiving. Me, I'd just sort them by size and put them in archival-quality boxes for perusal. For extra credit, have friends come over with digital cameras, each take a pile and take pictures, and send you the files, to put into a slideshow.

It also occurs to me that you could get one of those frames for kids' artwork in which you can easily swap things out--or a shadow box--and periodically display different ones. If there are a couple that really truly need to be permanently framed, you could do that too, but I wonder if you'd really want to have a whole lof of them up on the wall permanently.

Jane, sweet girl, you were here, and you are missed, and still treasured.

mommatosena said...

I "see" ya Cindy! I see ya!! LOL I have been aching to road trip so when I get tighter plans I will be emailing!!

I think that a shadow box that can easily swap out is a great idea. I personaly would want something permanently around, but love the idea of being to change it up if you are feeling like change.

sarah said...

This morning I am placing a postcard to you from Montana in our mailbox dear. This has touched my heart, I linked over from a couple of blogs and found you and your story and.. I just wish I could put a hug in there to send along as well.
With LOADS of love from the mountains of Montana,
Sarah Jane