To anyone who has met her, Lori Mairs is a force for this world.
She has devoted her life to helping others understand themselves and the complex relationship of self and nature. For two decades she worked as an advocate for those with developmental disabilities. She then went back to University and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelors Degree in Visual Arts and a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. For 15 years, she was the Caretaker of the Woodhaven Nature Conservancy. She was a collaborator with Cool Arts and the City of Kelowna in Sand Spiral (2009), with Nancy Holmes in the Woodhaven Eco Art Project (2011), with a community collective for Culture Days in Night of 1,000 Lights (2014) and with the Arts Council of Kelowna in Forest Walk (2016).
Lori spent extensive hours mentoring others. I am but one student of hers that has experienced immense healing in her able and empowering hands. She has always encouraged others to take responsibility for their lives, to inquire inwards first and then to be the best version they can be outwards. Her methods were unconventional. She pushed the limits of personal growth. She changed everything for many of us here in Kelowna and around the world whom have been lucky enough to work with her.
On Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021, Lori experienced a massive stroke. At this time the cause of the pulmonary emboli is unknown and investigations continue. Her heart is strong, but she has suffered a great deal and the road to recovery will be long. Being self employed means she will not be able to work in this time.
All funds will go directly to Lori to assist her healing journey.
Her kind and capable friend Gwen Torgunrud has been at her side since the beginning. Due to the pandemic, Gwen is the only one allowed in to visit Lori. She is updating us and we will update here as we can.
Please consider giving to a woman who has spent her whole life giving to the world. We all need Lori Mairs. You may just find her the most fascinating person you've met yet.
More about Lori:
"I am most preoccupied with the things that join us. I sense we have common experience, and I mean we. As a species we are fortunate to have language, memory, emotions and the ability to think through processes and make choices. With this privilege in mind, I work."
Lori Mairs is a visual artist and creative non-fiction writer. She is invested in the expansive possibilities found in collaborative art practices where writing, visual art, performance, new media and music come together. Relationships between humans and the more-than-human world, and relationships between humans and other humans are at the centrepoint of her creative practice and research.
From the archives of Lori, "The research question of my Masters Degree asked, "Is it possible for humans to have a relationship with a wild place in which a true exchange occurs?" I took everything I knew about non-verbal communication and married it to my understanding of form, content and context, the core of an art making practice. My methodology involved joining with the deep ecology of the nature conservancy while applying the lessons I'd learned in my personal growth training about the subtle messages of the human psyche.
The answer to my question emerged as yes, not only is it possible to have a relationship but it is a natural state to be in a Companion-Species* relationship with the more-than-human* world. Insight into the more-than-human world effortlessly parallels insight into the human condition. The two live inside each other.
If it’s possible to have a fearless relationship with ourself, imagine what kind of relationships we can have with others. Once our fearlessness has arrived we'd be much more available to imagine a new kind of relationship with the more-than-human world! We only protect what we love and the coming generations deserve our best."
To learn more:
http://lorimairs.com
https://lorimairs4711.wordpress.com
http://www.unconventional-methods.com
She has devoted her life to helping others understand themselves and the complex relationship of self and nature. For two decades she worked as an advocate for those with developmental disabilities. She then went back to University and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelors Degree in Visual Arts and a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. For 15 years, she was the Caretaker of the Woodhaven Nature Conservancy. She was a collaborator with Cool Arts and the City of Kelowna in Sand Spiral (2009), with Nancy Holmes in the Woodhaven Eco Art Project (2011), with a community collective for Culture Days in Night of 1,000 Lights (2014) and with the Arts Council of Kelowna in Forest Walk (2016).
Lori spent extensive hours mentoring others. I am but one student of hers that has experienced immense healing in her able and empowering hands. She has always encouraged others to take responsibility for their lives, to inquire inwards first and then to be the best version they can be outwards. Her methods were unconventional. She pushed the limits of personal growth. She changed everything for many of us here in Kelowna and around the world whom have been lucky enough to work with her.
On Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021, Lori experienced a massive stroke. At this time the cause of the pulmonary emboli is unknown and investigations continue. Her heart is strong, but she has suffered a great deal and the road to recovery will be long. Being self employed means she will not be able to work in this time.
All funds will go directly to Lori to assist her healing journey.
Her kind and capable friend Gwen Torgunrud has been at her side since the beginning. Due to the pandemic, Gwen is the only one allowed in to visit Lori. She is updating us and we will update here as we can.
Please consider giving to a woman who has spent her whole life giving to the world. We all need Lori Mairs. You may just find her the most fascinating person you've met yet.
More about Lori:
"I am most preoccupied with the things that join us. I sense we have common experience, and I mean we. As a species we are fortunate to have language, memory, emotions and the ability to think through processes and make choices. With this privilege in mind, I work."
Lori Mairs is a visual artist and creative non-fiction writer. She is invested in the expansive possibilities found in collaborative art practices where writing, visual art, performance, new media and music come together. Relationships between humans and the more-than-human world, and relationships between humans and other humans are at the centrepoint of her creative practice and research.
From the archives of Lori, "The research question of my Masters Degree asked, "Is it possible for humans to have a relationship with a wild place in which a true exchange occurs?" I took everything I knew about non-verbal communication and married it to my understanding of form, content and context, the core of an art making practice. My methodology involved joining with the deep ecology of the nature conservancy while applying the lessons I'd learned in my personal growth training about the subtle messages of the human psyche.
The answer to my question emerged as yes, not only is it possible to have a relationship but it is a natural state to be in a Companion-Species* relationship with the more-than-human* world. Insight into the more-than-human world effortlessly parallels insight into the human condition. The two live inside each other.
If it’s possible to have a fearless relationship with ourself, imagine what kind of relationships we can have with others. Once our fearlessness has arrived we'd be much more available to imagine a new kind of relationship with the more-than-human world! We only protect what we love and the coming generations deserve our best."
To learn more:
http://lorimairs.com
https://lorimairs4711.wordpress.com
http://www.unconventional-methods.com