Inspired by Fire by Melissa Lanitis Gregory
Posted on January 26, 2009
Filed Under Tahoe: Lost and Found
May 2008:
A few months ago, John Mauriello tried to make pizza.
This is important for a couple of reasons.
First, because his recipe had burned up, along with his home, in the Angora Fire, and his first few attempts to re-create it tasted like “crap”.
This is also significant because, upon reading this, I burst into tears.
Months after the fire it hit me: people in this community are STILL coming to terms with things they have lost to the fire.
And then there’s my friend Barbara.
Barbara lives in the burn area, but instead of losing her house, she found something. She found
the courage, during the holidays, to take an artificial tree that she’d covered with ribbons (representing homes lost) out to a corner in the burn area. It was placed there to stand in for a neighbor’s Christmas tree, gone now… the one that was always lit up and meant “it’s Christmas” to her and so many others.
And me: I didn’t lose my home or my pizza recipe or my neighborhood. But I did find inspiration: the idea for an art show called “Tahoe: Lost & Found”. The show would ask people to create art around the idea of what we, as a community, lost. And about what we found: strength, and a reminder of what an amazing place we live in.
So here it is, Tahoe: Lost & Found. My hope is that you will be inspired in some way too. (And if anybody has a great pizza recipe for John, we‘ll pass it along.)
I invite you to be a part of re-kindling that sense of community by being a part of Tahoe: Lost & Found.
Submit art to the auction, host an event or create a promotion to help us raise money to replace library books lost in the fire and a burn-area landmark.
♥
Melissa Lanitis Gregory has lived in South Shore for over 20 years. She is a mixed media artist who works with recycled paper mache to create one-of-a-kind earrings, necklaces, bowls, clocks, and art helmets. Yes, art helmets. To learn more about Melissa and to see more of her work, click here to visit her website www.papermoonstudio.com.
Phoenix, Mixed Media by Melissa Lanitis Gregory
Tahoe: Lost & Found Sponsors
♥ South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association
♥ Tahoe Fracture & Orthopedic Medical Clinic
