Leonard: A Cape Crustacean with a Cause
Linked Thru Leonard: a movement for world peace
The background
"Making Waves" exhibit Cotuit Center for the Arts
I met Leonard at a lobster mart in Dennisport, Ma (that's on Cape Cod). I picked him up from the pool, set him on the grate, took his picture (he posed so nicely, didn't he?), put him back in the water, and left.
Not long after, the Arts Foundation annouced the theme for that year's Winter Show: Making Waves. I had to send Leonard in. It just seemed right!
A few months later, there we were - Leonard and I. It was my first juried show. He looked so handsome hanging around the gallery during that month. And we enjoyed reading, and responding to, the letters a class of 4th graders wrote. They had some great questions!
After the show, I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with a 20"x30" canvas print of Leonard.
I was feeling a bit guilty about having left Leonard on death row. He had posed so nicely. He had given me a new experience - participation in a juried show, name tag that said "artist" and all!
I decided I needed to try to immortalize Leonard. He deserved it! I tried a few things, but nothing was making the kind of progress I envisioned. AND, I was starting to feel as though immortalizing Leonard was a sort of narrow, Leonard-centric goal. I needed something a bit more robust. Like...WORLD PEACE! Yes, that was it.
Not long after, the Arts Foundation annouced the theme for that year's Winter Show: Making Waves. I had to send Leonard in. It just seemed right!
A few months later, there we were - Leonard and I. It was my first juried show. He looked so handsome hanging around the gallery during that month. And we enjoyed reading, and responding to, the letters a class of 4th graders wrote. They had some great questions!
After the show, I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with a 20"x30" canvas print of Leonard.
I was feeling a bit guilty about having left Leonard on death row. He had posed so nicely. He had given me a new experience - participation in a juried show, name tag that said "artist" and all!
I decided I needed to try to immortalize Leonard. He deserved it! I tried a few things, but nothing was making the kind of progress I envisioned. AND, I was starting to feel as though immortalizing Leonard was a sort of narrow, Leonard-centric goal. I needed something a bit more robust. Like...WORLD PEACE! Yes, that was it.
MISSION, THEORY, PLAN
The ULTIMATE mission: WORLD PEACE
THE STRATEGY: LINKING PEOPLE all over the world through LEONARD
THE STRATEGY: LINKING PEOPLE all over the world through LEONARD
- Getting Leonard's image living with people in every state in the country and every country of the world.
- Helping notice their connection with others
- Connecting people who are Linked Thru Leonard
Holland
So what if...
everyone had a photo of LEONARD and they
Wouldn't we start to feel a little more connected to one another?
After all, we'd have a mutual friend (LEONARD), and we'd be having a shared experience (talking to LEONARD).
And if we all felt a little more connected to one another, isn't it possible world peace would follow naturally?
We (LEONARD and I) think so.
It seems worth a try! No worse than many ideas out there, and much less dangerous!
everyone had a photo of LEONARD and they
- talked to him (his photo) at least once each week (a simple "Hi Leonard" would do), and while talking to him, they
- wondered - for even a moment - where someone else was doing the very same thing with the very same photo at the very same time; And while they wondered, they
- knew people all over the world really were living with and talking to LEONARD?
Wouldn't we start to feel a little more connected to one another?
After all, we'd have a mutual friend (LEONARD), and we'd be having a shared experience (talking to LEONARD).
And if we all felt a little more connected to one another, isn't it possible world peace would follow naturally?
We (LEONARD and I) think so.
It seems worth a try! No worse than many ideas out there, and much less dangerous!
So that's how it started. That's how LEONARD, while minding his own business in a lobster mart in Dennisport, MA, became a CRUSTACEAN with a CAUSE.
From stickers to large canvas prints, a Leonard to fit any space or budget! Visit LEONARD store now and get LINKED thru LEONARD
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All Leonard items include an insert with the story of Leonard and instructions for getting "Linked"
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All proceeds from LEONARD SALES help support the project and are currently being 'earmarked' for PHASE II!