Meinrad Craighead

Years ago on a hot summer evening I stumbled into what I thought would be a poetry reading at Full Circle Books (the now, unfortunately, defunct women's bookstore in Albuquerque). Instead I came into a full out sacred ceremony involving, as I recall, cool water from the Rio Grande, some crystals, bunches of wildflowers, a bunch of other women, and the art of Meinrad Craighead. (I'm sure there must have been candles, too...) She had just published Litany of the Great River, featuring words and her unique, small scale artwork delving into images of the divine feminine. I cherish my signed copy, and have bought a calendar of her images every year that I could find one at Wild Oats. 8-)

Last weekend a feminist show opened at UNM, with Meinrad and Judy Chicago as jurors, and although I haven't been able to attend yet, all week my recollections of her rich artwork, and the influence she's had on me, have swirled around in my mind and dreams. So here are some resources to share with you:

• Google Image Search
• Crow Mother and the Dog God, a limited preview from Google Books
• A bio from Spiral Muse
• Her visual interpretation of the Song of Songs
• About a documentary on the artist (psst, the river images are right down the road from me)

Enjoy, and be inspired!