Feb 11, 2020
First trained as a painter, artist
Mary Addison Hackett also practices in photography, video and other
time-based projects.
Mary
Addison first experience with desert was on family vacation – three
of them – from her hometown of Nashville to the Grand Canyon,
Tucson, Mexico and other natural desert wonders along the
way. Even then, Mary Addison had a camera and to document her
trips.
Though
impressed with the natural and cultural aspects of these desert
trips, Mary Addison doesn’t recall having any aspirations of moving
to the desert.
Mary
Addison’s next desert encounter came in the late 90’s while working
for a post-production house out of Chicago. A project with a
director in Santa Monica, brought Mary Addison west and during some
downtime, she decided to make a trip to Joshua Tree and admits the
place made no particular impression on her at that time. Later,
after getting married in Palm Springs, and having by this time
moved to Los Angeles, she remembers weekend getaways at the 29
Palms Inn and other camping trips where she used the coin operated
showers at Coyote Corner.
Mary
Addison made the move to Joshua Tree after five years back in
Nashville caring for her aging mother, then sorting through three
generations of belongings and selling her childhood home. The
political climate had changed and, feeling uncomfortable in
Nashville, coming back west, near her artistic Los Angeles, peer
group felt like the right thing to do.
Researching and communicating with a realtor via
the web, Mary Addison found a home and made the move.
Here
in the desert for about two weeks, a friend from Atlanta texted,
suggesting she immediately –that very moment – drive to an event at
the Joshua Tree dry lake bed for what turned out to be a
High Desert Test Sites event.
Mary Addison also attended an Artist Tea at Joshua Tree National
Park (which she now directs) and the opening of
the Joshua Treenial – a trifecta of
events at which Mary Addison began to establish roots in the
artistic community.
Mary
Addison believes the desert has elevated her consciousness around
being a more responsible human, doing her best to reduce her
footprint by taking her trash to the dump, rather than opting for
trash pick up and chopping her own wood, used to heat her
home.
Not
sure if the desert is her last stop, Mary Addison says she wanted a
rural living experience and right now, the desert is affording her
that opportunity.
Mary
Addison has exhibited domestically and internationally, is a film
editor, arts educator and freelance arts writer.
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out Mary Addison on social:
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