Front and back cover: Kent Ambler, As the crow flies.
"As the crow flies" is a mixed media piece, India ink on old maps. Kent Ambler writes "I found about 100 maps of sections of Indiana (which is where I was born). I have moved around quite a bit in my life which is the basic theme of this piece."
This work represents the perspective of a traveler who is viewing places from a distance. Many of us travel often and many have moved homes in the course of our lives. We know it is normal to feel out of place when we are in a new environment. As a parent of a college freshman this year I was thrilled to learn that the school offers of a course called "Finding Your Place" that begins before regular classes and allows freshmen time to settle in before other classmates arrive. The course takes students throughout the area on hikes, visits to local museums, stores and restaurants. It gives the new students a sense of the history surrounding them and a chance to meet the local people where they will spend the next four years of their lives. It is an experience like none other.
"Finding Your Place" would be an amazing opportunity for anyone when they travel to new places, a chance to immerse oneself in the history, stories and people to help better understand the perspectives of a place. As a student or a traveler we often miss the most interesting stories of a place because we are focused on a specific task at hand.
A chance to find your place is exactly the opportunity offered by our 1,122 NARM member institutions across North America. Our network can count over 500 cultural and historical institutions, over 500 art institutions and numerous botanical gardens and other specialty organizations, each of which offer the traveler an immersive experience. NARM membership benefits are a members' welcome and a chance to truly experience a place where ever you travel.
Many thanks to Kent Ambler for sharing his inspirational artwork. You can find more of his creations on his website here: http://www.kentambler.net/
Virginia Phillippi
Executive Director
Kent Ambler, As the crow flies, detail