JoAnne Maikawa – Pick Up on Elm Street – June 21 July 2

Pickup on Elm Street – Artist’s Statement – Spring, 2023
Jo Anne Maikawa

I’ve often walked in my neighborhood during these pandemic years. One of my favorite routes was along Elm Street, east of University Avenue in Hospital Land. I noticed one day that there was one block along this barren stretch that was very different than the others. The trees along this stretch had likely been removed to make place for electrical poles and wires. But this one block was unusual – there was one very old tree from which fell remarkable things –

    Withered oak leaves
    Dried blossoms left over from the Spring blooming
    Twigs of many shapes and sizes
    Swatches of beautifully aged bark

As well, the tree seemed to be home to a bevy of squirrels.

And so it began… my pickup on Elm Street.
I decided to use background materials that were suggestive of the way Covid has affected the lives of so many of us – e.g., corrugated cardboard from the many deliveries of food and other supplies to avoid shopping in-person. I also have used photos to highlight the incredible spots of swollen bark on the one tree in this stretch of barren streets. The barren streets scattered with the detritus of the few remaining trees allude metaphorically to the social isolation of the pandemic.