| The
Colony
In the summer of 1999, a fellow artist Joe Piasentin, mentioned
that he had attended The Julia and David White Artists’
Colony in Costa Rica. Anything that combines travel and
art intrigues me, so I naturally wanted to know more about
Joe’s experience. I didn’t think much more about
it until four months later, when he called and asked if
I wanted to attend the Colony in October. I said “yes”.
Before
I knew it, I was preparing for a journey to Central America,
a place I had never been. I didn’t really have much
information about the Colony, only the bits and pieces shared
by Joe. My only contact with the founder of the Colony,
Dr. William (Bill) White, was but a few lines via email.
As I was on the plane headed for Costa Rica, I realized
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. For all I
knew I was headed for a rickety, bug-infested old shack
in the middle of the jungle! I landed in San José
late at night where Bill and his colleague, Francisco, picked
me up. It was dark and pouring down rain and as we drove
away from the airport on a winding and rough road, my feelings
about this trip were rapidly becoming more and more questionable.
My only comfort at this point was Bill’s exceptional
sense of humor, delivered in an all too familiar Southern
accent.
We arrived
at the Colony, where I would spend the next 30 days, and
I was taken directly to my studio to settle in and sleep.
The studio was spacious, clean and seemed to have everything
I would need, but I still felt a bit unsure, and had no
idea what to expect next. I awoke the following morning
to the most gorgeous view. I was overwhelmed by what seemed
like every type of plant and all shades of green with dots
of brilliant color from the tropical flowers. Coffee was
growing just outside my door, bananas hung from trees, and
with each step I took, I saw a different fruit, including
some I had never seen before. As I walked down to Bill’s
house amidst this new paradise of mine to meet him for our
first cup of coffee together, my first night’s uncertainty
was suddenly gone. While we sat on his porch and looked
through the layers of lush foliage and the curving branches,
we listened to the incredible arias that the birds were
singing. Little did I know that our first cup of coffee
would lead to the unbelievable relationship that was about
to unfold.
During
my stay in 1999, Bill and I spent almost every afternoon
on his porch, drinking coffee, looking out on the beautiful
farm and discussing whatever came to mind, which included
the many hardships we had both endured. We found ourselves
laughing, crying and even surprised by discovering the similarities
we shared. The most poignant were our experiences with death.
I’ve unfortunately experienced a great deal of death,
with cancer, AIDS and suicide being the causes of those
losses. My most profound loss was that of my father, to
cancer, when I was ten. Tragically, Bill had recently lost
both of his children within eighteen months of each other:
his daughter Julia, a poet and playwright who attended Harvard
University and received degrees in astrophysics and literature
from M.I.T.; and his son David, a talented and accomplished
composer and musician. Needless to say, the loss of dear
family members has been a major part of our lives and it
strengthened our connection. So there we were: a daughter
who had lost her father and a father who had lost his daughter.
The
Inspiration
Bill moved from the United States to Costa Rica in 1991.
Seven years later, in 1998, three years after his children
had died, he established the Colony as a memorial to them
to promote the arts in which they had been involved.
Bill
has been passionate about the Arts his whole life. Born
in Georgia, he lived most of his life in Los Angeles, where
he was a psychologist and a freelance music critic for the
L. A. Times. From 1960 to 1970, he owned and operated The
Nine Muses restaurant with his wife, Harley. The establishment
became a prominent mecca for writers, composers and painters
(the sons of both Picasso and Gauguin frequented the restaurant).
In addition to exquisite food, The Nine Muses was known
for the phenomenal artwork that graced the premises. For
instance, there were paintings by Kienholz, and sculptures
of renowned musicians by Anna Mahler (daughter of Gustav
Mahler).
After
his children had grown and he and his wife had divorced,
Bill retired and moved to Costa Rica in 1991. Bill’s
daughter, Julia, committed suicide in 1994. Shortly after,
David died from a heroin overdose. Their memory lives on
through their father’s inspiring artists’ colony,
as well as through the artistic creations they left behind.
Julia’s
pain is instantly recognizable in her writings. The poems
in this book are from when she was nine years old, in 1974,
until she was twenty six, in 1991. In the three years prior
to her death, she was working on a play entitled “Dessa”,
which has not yet been produced. She died at age twenty
nine.
One
of the most memorable and touching experiences that Bill
and I shared was the reading of Julia’s poetry over
coffee. As we read the poetry aloud together, we were saddened
by her absence and in awe of the talent apparent in her
works which spanned almost twenty years. Julia’s story,
her writing and Bill’s determination to honor both
of his children’s memory while benefiting the lives
of other artists, moved me tremendously. Bill and Julia
were very close and he was devastated by her death. After
the tragedy, he felt numb and filled with confusion. I knew
these feelings all too well from the experience of losing
my father at such a young age.
The Book
Bill and I wanted to honor Julia’s memory and her writings
by sharing them with others. I am a visual artist who is
inspired by many other art forms, and I enjoy the conversations
between them. My idea was to publish her poems with visual
art pieces inspired by those writings. This project also
links Bill’s creation of the artists’ colony with
his daughter’s life and immense talent.
Throughout
my travels, education and work experience, I have met artists
from all over the world. I knew that many of these artists
would not only relate to Julia’s writings, but would
be inspired by them and honored to participate in and collaborate
on such a project. The artists in the book are from Costa
Rica, England, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Venezuela, and
throughout the United States.
The
project began by writing a letter proposing my idea to approximately
150 artists from all over the world. To my surprise I received
an overwhelming response, as many of these artists related
to her words in one form or another. Many had loved ones
who committed suicide. The enthusiasm and commitment of
these artists were my building blocks and motivation to
make this project a reality. There are twenty nine artists
who stuck with me through this three-year, collaborative
journey and they have consistently displayed patience and
belief in this project. A few of the artists have attended
the Colony and met Bill, but none of us had ever met Julia.
It was very rewarding to receive such a heartfelt response
to this project which commemorates this young woman’s
life. Throughout this time, the project helped continue
to heal my own losses and has broadened and influenced my
art. I am delighted to say that the book has exceeded my
expectations with its profound power and its beauty.
Since
my first visit to the Colony in 1999, I have been back twice
to visit Bill, work on this book and rekindle my initial
journey. Bill has also visited me in Santa Fe where he met
my family and friends. Throughout these visits I have been
able to get to know Julia better, not only through her poems,
but also through letters, photographs and stories told by
Bill. With a better understanding of Julia’s life,
I discovered our paths had crossed both physically and in
some ways metaphysically. This book has truly become a celebration
of her work and a memorial of her life. Each time I return
to the Colony, I feel like I am going to a second home where
my visits with Bill on the porch, over coffee, continue.
–
L. Noel Harvey |
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