“One World” 5.5 Feet Long by 4.5 Feet High

Thursday, January 30, 2025  from 12:00 noon – 2 pm

Jeannie Hope Gibson

Even with our vast personal differences or location on this earth, we are all interconnected, an extended family.  Migrations and intermarriages throughout our human history have impacted our DNA, altering our bloodlines. These are average everyday people from all over the world who share common ground far greater than their personal differences or their countries of origin. They have suffered from wars, famine, natural disasters, health issues, deaths of loved ones or other personal heart breaks.  For some life has crushed their spirits and fractured their vision of hope.

“I began drawing people when I was three years old. My journey started as an in-depth study of the many different facial features I saw growing up in Santa Fe.  Later during my travels out of the country, my interest grew into a desire to reflect each person’s personal history and lineage. Through the years I sat wherever there were people, sketching on napkins, scraps of newspaper, old letters, books, maps, or whatever I found around me. Some I knew personally, and several were described by a relative or someone who knew them. Each face is drawn or painted and buried under layers of ephemera reflecting the blending of many complex cultures added over time to their individual bloodline.  Each person has a unique story to tell, so I focus on the eyes, which mirror their inner spirit and reflect the impact of each individual’s life experiences.

Because there are many layers to a person’s life, I use collage to frame the faces, adding depth to their story. They are surrounded by yellowed pages from old books or maps written in their native languages. Only when we peel back those layers of time and experience, will we reveal the true spirit underneath.  I think of it as an archeological excavation, where each small fractured sherd or bone fragment combines with thousands more relics to tell the person’s personal story. One by one we all contribute to our complexed history, sharing the journey of our human family.

Their images rest together on a picket fence, which is open and welcoming. They could be neighbors talking peacefully to each other over that fence, sharing their stories freely with mutual acceptance. A wall is too rigid and shuts people out, but neighbors linger and visit over a fence; in time building trust, understanding and eventual friendship. No matter their language, personal faith, racial heritage, or DNA, they all share the same experience of simply being