Anna Kruse

"Coming off of my first year of graduate school, one interrupted by a global pandemic, months of not having studio access, but instead being semi-isolated back in Ohio; my time at Township10 was an awakening. A transformative and nourishing three weeks of uninterrupted studio time, a gift that I will hold onto, come back to when I am feeling the fatigue of navigating a studio practice amongst the obligations of everyday life. While I feel that in all seasons the land manifests magic, being there in the middle of summer felt like a dream, a surreal green landscape.

Every morning waking to the cacophony of all that was inhabiting the space, thriving together under the sun and moon. It was such a joy, to start the day, run up the road to the dead end at the top of the hill, to sit on the porch drinking coffee while staring out into the yard observing a rabbit or bird. Then, walking up to the studio, past the garden and notice a new flower opening, another dying, harvest a few green beans for a snack in the studio, and then finally to approach the space where I would ultimately spend my day. Sink my hands into the soft malleable medium I have come to know quite intimately, that I am still surprised by, that is still teaching me. I easily could have spent a lifetime there, but in many ways that experience will last me the rest of my life, it is an anchor in my memory, something to latch onto to help settle or remind myself to take time for slowness, appreciation, and to allow the landscape I currently reside in to awaken me."