February 18, 2002 A mother's love expressed in memorial exhibit at the Porter Faculty Gallery By Ann Gibb A passionate rock climber, Patrick Savageau died in a climbing accident at age 20. His mother Ann, a gifted artist, has used her art to work through her shock and grief and begin healing. Detail from "Mountain Leaves," an installation which is part of Ann Savageau's memorial exhibition Life Line. Her memorial exhibition Life Line, on view at the Porter Faculty Gallery February 19 through March 15, combines the passions of mother and son in an eloquent celebration of Patrick, who was a UCSC junior when he died in September 2000. "The overall impressions I wanted to convey were the extraordinary fullness, richness, and joy of his life," explained Ann. "Creating art has been an important part of the grieving and healing process for me." Patrick's love of rock climbing, the environment, his family, and his friends reverberate throughout all elements of the exhibition, which opens with a free public reception on February 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. Life Line combines interior and exterior installations. The namesake piece is a series of 18 shadowbox assemblages, each representing a year in Patrick's life. The crowded boxes hold photos, quotes, drawings, and other items representing Patrick's life and interests. To create the assemblages, Ann combed through many boxes of family keepsakes and photos. She invited family and friends to add items, to "make the pieces a larger and richer whole than I could have working on my own." In "Climbing Wall Memories," an installation of ceramic holds from indoor climbing gyms, colored tape markers track not climbing routes but memories of Patrick from his friends and classmates, transcribed by the artist. "I was very keen on bringing the exhibit to UCSC because his friends had shared such a beautiful outpouring of love and grief," said Ann. "I wanted to give something back to them." The exterior component of Life Line is a collection of more than 200 prayer flags donated by Patrick's family and friends. Inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, these brightly colored flags carry images and reminiscences of Patrick. For the duration of the exhibition the prayer flags will hang in the central quad area of College Eight, where Patrick was a student. Life Line was originally installed at the Residential College Art Gallery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where Ann Savageau is an art instructor. "I'm thrilled that I'm able to share this exhibition with UCSC because Patrick was incredibly happy and fulfilled at Santa Cruz. He had found the place he loved, he had many friends here, and I think he was the happiest he'd been in his whole life." The Porter Faculty Gallery, at Porter College, is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (831) 459-3606, or e-mail the gallery. Return to Front Page