In 2021, we were still very much in the middle of a pandemic. Having recently left my career in elementary music education after over 20 years, and mostly keeping to myself, I did my best to engage with the outside world. At some point, I started printing magnets, probably around the time I showed some work at a small neighborhood gallery in Merion Village, and wasn’t terribly successful from a monetary standpoint. It was in July, with a box full of business card-sized magnets, and a feeling of frustration, that I decided if the humans were not coming to my work, I would simply bring it to them.
I have often reflected on the value of the arts in my life; in truth, nearly every significant relationship for me simply would not have happened without them. I started thinking about how engaging with art helped me to better understand myself, and brought me immense comfort, joy, and often relief when nothing else could. I thought about so many other people struggling with their own mental health, hiding within their own four walls. Undoubtedly I was not the only one. It motivated me to share this work with others in a unique and creative way. And thus was the Magnet Project born!
From that point on, each month I would print a run of fifty magnets of a single image. I would take a handful of them with me on my walk, and leave them on any magnetic surfaces I could find, posting on social media about it, at first giving hints where people could find them. After a while that became unnecessary, and much to my delight I would discover many of them missing from the spots I left them in. People would occasionally try to purchase favorite images from me, and I made it very clear that this project was not about monetizing my work. I did, however, give people the opportunity to support the project with donations, and in return, I would send them a magnet, and usually another thank you gift (especially if they funded the whole pack).
Each magnet has a sticker on the back of it, instructing the finder how to contact me. For whatever reason, I never hear from the vast majority of people who take the magnets, and that’s fine with me. What I think is most important is that someone has a piece of art they can engage with and enjoy.
It’s been over three years now, and the project is still going strong, thanks to the generous donations of many friends. Thank you for believing in the power of having access to art!
