Yes, a Hodgepodge Heart is often refers to a cross-stitch pattern or a lovey-dovey collage, but I like to think about it more as a state of being. To have a Hodgepodge Heart is to see the broken pieces of life, the world, the trash on the ground, as simply pieces of pre-art. Broken is not just beautiful in its own right; broken is an opportunity. A Hodgepodge Heart feels that.
So much of my art is made up of a hodgepodge of materials, methods, and adhesive “strategies.” I have always been like that, but it wasn’t until recently that I found a metaphor in it.
Hate is especially high right now, and I feel powerless and unsafe. Anger and fear are my constant companions. It’s very present in my society, but it is global, too, waves of suffering, oppression, violence, and silencing.
I have been struggling with the worry of the impotence of art. What’s the point? Can a wall made of a hodgepodge of materials and love fight fascism and the utter lack of basic needs being met for too many people? No. So, what’s the point?
The point is that art is resistance. Living is resistance. Not giving up is resistance. Community is resistance. And Art is living, not giving up, and community building.
I could stop doing my art because I am afraid of losing my home, or because I am afraid to invest in something that might be destroyed, or because I am afraid that I will be attacked or imprisoned, but then I think of everyone who has stopped while I am working outside to encourage me. I have never had a stronger connection to my neighbors than since I started the outside art.
Just a few weeks ago (February of 2025, USA), someone stopped to say, “I love your wall so much. Don’t stop what you’re doing. You are building community.” It felt like he was speaking directly to my broken little hodgepodge heart:
I do commission art – murals, mosaics, welding, fabric art, sculpture, stone art, writing. Examples of my work can be seen all over the site, and I am always adding more. If you are interested in commissioning me for a project, email me (Nancy) at [email protected].
I’m also interested in creating a platform for other artists. I want anyone with a Hodgepodge Heart to unite, and I have a space here for other makers. My dream scenario is one in which people who are interested in hand-made art can come to the Hodgepodge space to find someone, and makers can be found.