Hat or Bird Paradise? You decide.

Utne had an article on Ecoartists. You can find it here.

Among the artists is a woman who makes hats that double as a bird feeders/perches in order to create an awareness of the interdependency and connection between all the beings in a particular watershed. That's what she says, at least. She may really, deep down, just like to wear silly hats. (She'll let you wear the hat, too, for free, at special clinics in Mendicino.)

Click here to visit her web site and see the hat.

Art Action: Help something be more than it is. Could any item in your life do double duty like that hat? Could you imagine altering something so it could? What about taking a regular item and figuring out how you can make it a comment on something that is important to you?

Not sure where to start? How about with a slotted spoon or sieve? A pair of tinted glasses that don't fit you very well? A glove? A hockey stick? A watering can? An old shoe? Make one of these into a metaphor for something, or turn it into a piece of art in iteslf. Physically transform it, or just write about what it could mean.

Let it be more than it is. If it comes out well, put it in your yard, or make a web site about it.

Be silly, be brave, have fun.