Creativity during COVID

The idea of turning lemons into lemonade originated in a 1915 obituary written in honor of Marshall P. Wilder a dwarf whose many achievements and successful acting career were characterized by his boundless optimism. “He proved the eternal paradox of things. He cashed in on his disabilities. He picked up the lemons that Fate had sent him and started a lemonade-stand.” I guess this website (I don’t like the word “blog” it sounds too much like “blah”) is inspired by those who build lemonade-stands.

Today, I’d like to tell you about 2 women who have opened a “lemonade-stand”.

Meet Nickie Lewis

Artist Nickie Lewis lives in British Columbia. Her medium is twigs and twine. Her installation site is Robert Burnaby Park near Vancouver. Her creations range from tiny Ewoks to a massive dragon, named Mama Emerald. After COVID closed the festivals where the artist displays and sells her work, Ms. Lewis took to the woods. Using only natural components, she creates a magical world for anyone lucky enough to wander the 118 acre park. For those of us that may be geographically indisposed to Western Canada, check out Ms. Lewis’s instagram here .

Meet Rania Matar

Photographer Rania Matar lives in Massachusetts. When she and her neighbors found themselves confined to their homes because of COVID, the artist, like most of us, still needed to connect with others and still needed to create. Ms. Matar offered to photograph neighbors through their ground floor windows and doors. The incredibly accomplished artist captured over 100 socially distanced portraits. According to her interview with The Art Newspaper, Ms. Matar says, “It proved to me that people were really craving human connection on some level." 27 of the works of art are on exhibit at Cornell Fine Arts Museum in Winter Park, FL. You can also see many of these evocative works on Rania Matar's Instagram .