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Of the Air by Stephanie Wolff

Of the Air by Stephanie Wolff

Stephanie Wolff: "Descriptive weather notations recorded in almanacs of a 19th century N.J. woman (Anna Blackwood Howell, 1765-1855) are interpreted through tiny watercolor paintings. A set of cards is included for readers to create their own version of the weather descriptions."

Wolff has developed a body of work that centers on the life of an this early 19th century woman – Anna Blackwood Howell. The artist books, paper, and textile pieces originate from Anna Blackwood Howell's life and writing, including the yearly almanacs she used to track the cyclical nature of the seasons and to "profit by the experience of the past year." Howell lived from 1769 until 1855 in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Her husband, Joshua, died in 1818, and she inherited their farm and fisheries along the banks of the Delaware River across from Philadelphia. The Howells had eleven children, and she outlived six of them. In her almanacs, Anna Howell recorded near-daily observations and notes on the family fishing business, farm production, and household accounts.

Stephanie Wolff: “While this project's focus is not climate change, it is largely about climate—that is, weather. … Howell's almanacs detail the continual challenges of living close to the land. Sometimes this is expressed in the emotions that accompany an "Arcadian" day or dismal skies, and at other times in relation to considerations of travel or, more crucially, the production of food. These concerns are increasingly relevant today as universal ones facing humankind. Rather than weather remaining far from daily thoughts, more and more of us understand all too well the effects of a dry spell, gale force winds, blizzards, or a sudden thaw. As I continue to explore these almanacs and create more work, I gain further insight into an era of a barter economy, the reliance on neighbors and community to endure environmental changes, and how life's fortunes can be dependent on weather. I notice little difference between then and now in the human desire to succeed within the bounds of nature, to push against those bounds, and the hard acceptance of what nature brings beyond our control.”
 

  • Processes, Dimensions, and Edition Information

    Vermont: Stephanie Wolff, 2024. Editions of 18 + 2 AP.

    7.75 x 6.5 x .875 inches closed. Accordion structure. Paper, cloth, board, ink, watercolor. Letterpress printed at May Day Studio with hand coloring and binding done in the artist’s studio, both in Vermont. Bound in a hardcover accordion, with cards, wrapper, and hardcover slipcase. Signed and numbered by the artist.

$750.00Price

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