When faced with a blank journal page, what would you add?
Designer Mary Wiseman wanted to find out on an international level. A
resident of Beijing, China, for 15 years, Wiseman distributed 100 blank
journals, for 100 days, throughout the city of Beijing. She invited
participants to add to the books anything they desired-words, sketches,
collages, and beyond- then pass the books to another. “I wanted to see what
would happen when people were provided a means to connect creatively with
others,” Mary reports. Prints of pages from 15 of the returned journals
will be on display in the Salon at The Academy of Music Theatre May 1-31st.

At the opening Wiseman will have a selection of the actual journals for the
public to look through. “When I began the project I had no idea what the
results would be,” Wiseman describes, “The journals passed through the hands
of artists of all nationalities and age groups who contributed their ideas
and images.”

Inspired by the 1000 Journals Project of San Francisco, Wiseman’s 100
Beijing Journals enabled her to stretch her journal-making interests, engage
her collaborative talents, and watch the creative process along the way.
Wiseman is a designer, educator, and collage artist. While living in
Beijing, China, from 1990 to 2005, she taught the International
Baccalaureate Visual Arts Curriculum at the International School of Beijing
and earned her Masters of Art in Media Studies from The New School for
Social Research.

Wiseman’s work will be on view in the Academy’s Salon and Lobby May 1st
through 31st, 274 Main St, Northampton Ma. An artist reception will be held
Friday May 15th from 5-7pm. The exhibition will be open for all who attend
shows at the Academy or by appointment. To make an appointment contact
Julia at: Julia@commonwealthcenter.org or 413.522.1319. To see a selection
of Wiseman’s work visit: www.valleyartshare.com.

This exhibition is made possible by storefrontART a program of Commonwealth
Center for Change presented in partnership with the Northampton Center for
the Arts. www.commonwealthcenter.org.