As you might have gathered, I have been having trouble with this blog. For some reason the WordPress filtering software decided I was acting badly when I posted the Thanksgiving post. No sooner had I published the piece than I received a notice the blog had been shut down. At the same time, a pointed notice appeared on the site, saying the blog had been shut down due to violations of policy.
I immediately e-mailed the WordPress staff requesting aid. Unfortunately it was Thanksgiving…. Anyway, when I awoke this morning I found a very nice, apologetic note from staff, informing me the blog was back up. I am glad to be back, and a bit chagrined. I do wish they had simply blocked the blog, rather than pointing fingers. This all occurred in a week in which my primary computer failed and had to be replaced.
Yesterday we drove over to Hanover, New Hampshire to see Crossing Cultures: Te Owen and Wagner Collection of Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Art. The exhibition is ongoing through mid-March at the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College.
The show occupies the entire second story of the museum. I have seen many reproductions of contemporary Australian Aboriginal art, yet never the actual work. As I stepped from the elevator I was greeted by many large, brightly colored paintings. The room seemed to literally sing! The exhibition also includes photography, sculpture, and video.
Painting has proven to be a way for many Aboriginal people to keep in touch with 
myth, landscape, and tradition. Yet the stories behind the paintings are frequently those of loss and grief. Still, artists are reaching back to times before the whole scale destruction of sacred sites and aboriginal homelands. These paintings remember the land as it was before relocation, alcohol, and residential schooling.
An accompanying video discussed these, and other threads in the art. Through interviews with several of the artists the videographer brought the viewer into the everyday and mythic worlds of the artists. These conversations were simultaneously uplifting and heartbreaking. They were also familiar.
A few weeks ago, Aboriginal Art and Culture published a thorough discussion of the exhibition. I hope you’ll take a few minutes and read about the show in detail.
In March the exhibition travels to the Midwest before returning home.
Dreaming the World 
Thanks, Michael–glad you enjoyed it -w
Ha!
Oops! There was a screen hiccup and the very first word we posted, an enthusiastic Ha!, landed in a comment box of its own. Sorry ’bout that… and Ha! So glad you are back. We had a hunch it had to be a misunderstanding. There is no way your content could be perceived as inappropriate. Interestingly, these words jump from the page in the present article: “Painting has proven to be a way… to keep in touch… yet the stories behind the paintings are frequently those of loss and grief.” This seems to echo the very purpose of your blog, to keep in touch, yet your words also evoke a sense of grief as you experienced an unfortunate misunderstanding. History has a way of repeating itself in various forms. The grief and loss of ancient cultures is due to grave misunderstanding as well. Glad you’ve resolved the issue.
Thanks! Yes, I was feeling loss. Somehow the entire thing felt personal, even though it was a computer error. The timing was indeed disturbing!
Michael Watson M.A., Ph.D., LCMHC, JourneyWorks 11Kilburn Street Burlington Vermont 05408 802-860-6203 http://www.journeyworksvt.com/ https://michaelwatsonvt.wordpress.com/ http://journeyworksvt.wordpress.com/
> Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:38:18 +0000 > To: mwatsonlcmhc@hotmail.com >