Tyree Live

   I went to see Tyree Guyton and Jenenne Whitfield speak at UMMA a week ago and I was surprised at the way they engaged with us, it was certainly not what I expected.  One quote that particularly stood out to me was when Jenenne boldly declared, "This is my project.  I let Tyree be an artist, but this is my project."  At first I cringed, thinking to myself, wow we have been talking about all this good Tyree is doing, and here is this woman taking all the credit.  Then I thought about it a bit, then I saw Tyree's big smile sitting right behind her shoulder, and it became clear this woman deserved so much more credit than she has gotten.  She seems to not only have put a method to the madness of polkadots that spew over Heidelberg Street, but to have broadcasted that message to a level it couldn't have reached without her.
   It is clear, seeing Tyree speak, he is passionate about opening the world's eyes.  His message seemed to be similar to that of FEL 3,000 FT, so much of society is bogged down in our phones, in what we think life should be, that we miss what is really going on right around us.  Being at Heidelberg Street and seeing him wander the artwork, moving hubcaps, and staring into the eyes of stuffed animals with so much purpose, it was truly inspiring.  I wished that so much meaning could speak to me as it seems to speak to Tyree and FEL.  I really appreciated how much emotion and hope all three speakers spoke to us with, they gave me faith in our generation which I don't always have, and I hope that faith is able to be lived out in my actions.