Tina M. Dillman

Hello Friends! 

I have some exciting news…the universe has aligned for me to travel again in the name of art.  At the end of this month, I will be traveling back to Europe for the first time in 10 years!!!  The last time I was there was as a graduate student at SFAI.  I can’t believe time has passed by so quickly, but here we are. 

Thanks to my best artist bud, Erik Richard Parra, I will be visiting Amsterdam for the very first time to see the Vermeer show and I can’t wait!  But, before I arrive there, I will be reunited with my long-time collaborator, Liv Fontaine, in England, to produce new work and who knows what kind of (good) trouble.  Then later in the summer, I have been invited to Italy to further my studies on herbalism and once again be in the company of the most amazing Sarah Wu, whom I first had the pleasure of working with in Costa Rica (2022). 

As I plan for these upcoming trips, I am trying to stay optimistic that things will work out, but I also have to face the realization that I don’t have the means to do everything that I want to do right now.  The opportunities for an artist like myself in Central New York, have been limited, but I would love to be able to utilize these upcoming opportunities and make the most of them.  I mean it’s been 10 years since I last visited this continent, so these upcoming short trips are long overdue. 

So, let me help you, by you helping me.  

I would like to offer you all the possibility to support my practice in exchange for a token of your gratitude I will gift you a new art piece created from my trip.

–For a contribution of $75: I will mail you something from my travels. 
–For a contribution of $150: I will mail you a small print series (2-3 images) from the photographs I take during my travels. 
–For a contribution of $225: I will mail you an 8 x 10 inches print from the work that I produce with Liv.  
–With any contribution over $225: I will mail you a set of small art works created by me on my travels. 

I have also made available some artwork, prints, and other affordable merchandise on my website that I can ship to you, or if you live close we can set up a delivery.  This work of mine is just sitting in boxes, stagnant, when they were made to be worn or admired on a wall.  If you see something that catches your eye let me know.  Payment can be submitted via Paypal: paypal.me/TinaDillman, Venmo: @Tina-Dillman-1, or you can send a check–my mailing address is located in the footer of this email.  

Thank you! Your support is always much appreciated!

Live-Long-Love-Artists!!!

XXO,
Tina

I’ll be set up on the first floor with some prints and other merchandise for sale. Come by and say hi!

Please join us on Thursday, February 9, 6-8pm, at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, for the launch of a new performance project, I LOVE ME. Museum guests will have the opportunity to play game like exercises that dive into the notion of self-care and love, while experiencing the museum through a different perspective. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase merchandise such as totes, stickers, buttons, prints, and t-shirts from the Be Authentic line. If you’re in the area, we hope to see you there!

As of December 2022, I became a resident of the Gear Factory in Syracuse, New York. If you’re coming through the area, please stop by for a visit and tour of this amazing building, where creativity is happening on all the floors. I am so happy that I found this place!

Available for the month of December, a collaboration with San Francisco based mail artist Mike Dyar, from 2021, a limited edition (1/5) mixed media work for $150/each. Interested parties should contact Tina at: tina m dillman @ gmail.com.

Over the past 4 months, I had the privilege of being able to travel around Costa Rica (CR). [To see my travel logs, you can view those images on social media through Instagram or Facebook.] Without trying to sound cliche, but while also being honest, it was an amazing adventure that has and will continue to have a huge impact on my life. My time in CR not only reinforced ideas and notions I had previously of the world, Americans/Westerners, and myself in said world, but it also provided me with the time and space necessary to transform into this next phase of myself. A side that I feel like I have been missing and longing for, for way too long.

I am at that point in my life (I am currently 42, almost 43 years old), where I am realizing just how valuable time really is, as half of my life has passed me. Did you ever think about how time is a non-renewable resource? Every second you spend doing whatever is one second that you will never get back, ever. I thought about this a lot in CR. I think I was having my own existential crisis, but I was ok with that, because I knew that I was not fully happy when I arrived to CR. I knew that things in my life had to change, but I was not fully aware of how or what exactly had to change. So, I did what I could and I gave myself the time to think, process, and begin to work through the deeper levels of trauma and pain that my body had been storing. I began to further peel those layers back, so I could understand the how’s and why’s of my life. I used the tools that presented themselves to me-a therapist, energy healers, body workers, workshops, friends, solitude, and mother nature to further investigate and care for myself in all the ways possible. I showed myself how much I really loved myself, and in becoming more aware of myself, I saw that I had a pattern of taking care of myself and that this behavior was my normal.

Everyday I was in CR I felt grateful. I felt grateful for my surroundings, the ocean, the sea, the mountains, the people, the friends I made, the food I ate, the herbs, fruits & vegetables I picked and created meals from, my parents & friends that helped me navigate between continents, the butterflies, hummingbirds, and creatures I admired, usually from afar. Everything played a role in helping me find me, or should I say, reconnect with the parts of me that had laid dormant for some time.

And, here I am world, ready for what lies next. I am not sure what that is exactly, but everyday, I know I am getting a little closer.

[Side note: I ask that you please be patient with me. I do want to share more with you about all of those topics I mentioned above, but it may take some time as they could present themselves as art works, performances, writings, or events. And these things not only take time to develop, but money as well. If you think you can assist me in some way, please reach out via email or phone. I am open to travel, so let’s talk!]

In mid-October I will be traveling to Parrita, Costa Rica for a 3 month residency at the Mauser EcoHouse, where I will be learning about plants, herbal medicine and sustainable living. I have been wanting to visit this country since I was 12! I first became fascinated with the culture and language through my elementary Spanish class, and later in life this interest led me to visit Mexico and Cuba through professional art endeavors, and now, after 30 years, my childhood dream is becoming a reality. I feel so fortunate for this opportunity, and look forward to all the creatures, plants, people, food, and customs that I will be exposed to. I’ll be sharing my experiences here and through social media, so if you would like to live vicariously through me, please do. Life is short and there is no time to waste, as we don’t have enough of this precious resource to do everything that we would like.

Excited to share this news!!! Click on the image for more information. Photo taken by Henry Malone.

I want to exist in a world that is free from discrimination and hate, where the wealthy do not look down upon the poor, but equal; where one can be open to their desire, and love whom they want, without impeding judgments from others, or restrictions that threaten their daily lives; where you can breathe clean, unpolluted air and drink uncontaminated water from your household sink; where your fellow citizens aren’t camped out all year long on the streets, and you don’t have to go into debt to access the proper healthcare or education; where greed and plastic aren’t ruining our environment by suffocating our trees, wildlife, and oceans. I want to live in a world that accepts differences as the new norm, because we all belong here. I want to live in a world that does not yet exist.

-Statement on current status of life in America, words by Tina Dillman, 2020