The media file [Myesha] is by CallahanFreet.

Myesha Callahan Freet

The media file [release.] is by CallahanFreet.

Through the evolution of my relationship to others and myself over time, care is a constant theme.

embrace.
reflect.
release.

Limiting myself to the plain materials and simple processes used in this work pays homage to the subject, which is basic to us all. As I grow and shed old aspirations, how is it possible to adequately honor myself and others? These pieces bring the inner dialogue on my spiritual roles into physical form. Each one expresses an aspect of my exploration into who I am, what I want, and how I daily want to feel.

The media file [release.] is by CallahanFreet.

Image from the AK State Museum opening, by Trish Stillwell

Habitual Rituals

Our daily rituals are bigger than ourselves. What can we maintain as imperfect beings on a daily basis?

A daily practice for a year has accumulated into a bigger moment of continuous care. Constructing each lumen print called for patience, as the dried flowers became delicate throughout the year; the final collage is dependent on the environment’s instability.

The media file [release.] is by CallahanFreet.

Safety Net

The ultimate form of self care is to begin with yourself. Safety Net acknowledges the self-induced boundaries in that process, the constant effort of weaving ways of being that still allows for caring of others, falling into myself as I recognize the path of those before me as I daily choose my own.

Unexpected Care

Constructed by the repetitive pounding of chrysanthemums, these eco-prints represent the constant work that enduring connection requires. This is a celebration of the possibilities of life when new relationships are formed, often through actions that can be inconvenient. Relationship building takes time and it can hurt, but we are forever marked by the experience.

The media file [release.] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [release.] is by CallahanFreet.

Reflect to Connect

An installation constructed while meditating on behaviors that created relationships. It acknowledges both connection and its loss; the deconstruction that unravels over time and the moments of repair that can happen.

The media file [release.] is by CallahanFreet.

Death to the Mother I Once Was

Motherhood has been a state of constant letting go. Constructed to observe his 18th year of life, covered in 18 lumen prints from flowers he planted: I celebrate the new stages of his life as I let go of the person he no longer is. My goal is to become the advisor he may need, embracing my own transitions as we cultivate the family’s growth.

The media file [release.] is by CallahanFreet.

Pages (Performance)

Only fragments of what was will be left behind.

This performance was held during gallery hours so the artist could join the installation. It is a time-based, methodical release of a year’s worth of daily writing, a public ritual of letting go.

More Information

"embrace. reflect. release." has been constructed from the attempt to gain deeper clarity into who I am, what I want, and how I daily want to feel. Bringing my inner dialogue into physical form is a search for new ways of being. Through this work I acknowledge my ways of caring and searching for the common energy that will ripple into all that we are.

Opening Night at the Alaska State Museum

The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.

Artist Talk at Alaska State Museum

The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.
The media file [<nil>] is by CallahanFreet.

Related Media

Myesha's radio interview for this work can be viewed here or on YouTube.

Walkthrough of the Alaska State Museum show.