IN AN EFFORT TO STAY CONNECTED WITH OUR MEMBER ARTISTS, WE THOUGHT WE WOULD VISIT THEIR STUDIOS AND SHARE A BIT OF THEIR WORK IN PROGRESS WITH YOU.

• TODAY WE FEATURE MARY ALICE BITTS •

I was in the hospital about a month before news broke of the U.S. spread of COVID-19, and  so I was already sheltering at home, in a sense, weeks before Pennsylvania’s lockdown. When I was strong enough, I began to take short walks around my neighborhood and weekly Sunday drives with my husband, occasionally asking him to pull over so I could get a picture of an interesting building or sight.

So when Pennsylvania went into lockdown, the sights around me began to portray a very different time. I also suddenly had plenty of company, suddenly: During the previous month as I recovered in my apartment, which felt smaller by the hour, I stared to notice all sorts of things about my surroundings, and to think a bit more deeply about what actually mattered in my life. I was cycling through many of the emotions associated with social isolation. Now, with the lockdown, people all across the country were sheltering at home too, and feeling and experiencing many of the same things. Like me, their in-person social circles had shrunk, suddenly and dramatically. Their daily routines were changing in all sorts of mundane and profound ways. And I began to see evidence of this shift in their thoughts and moods not just online and in texts with friends, but also in the world around me.

As these changes—in mood, in routines, in business operations and school schedules—took hold in my community, I began to see something beautiful emerge during my daily walks and weekly drives, as businesses and homes began to display signs of hope and encouragement. People were thinking about the meaning of community, relationships, work. And they were reaching out, as they could, using paper signs and sidewalk chalk and movie marquees or children’s drawings, taped to their doors – however they could. There were other signs too, representing the fear and uncertainty of the times, as well as the very practical issues of day-to-day life during a pandemic. I wanted to capture as much as I could about this singular moment the only way I could.

 I began to categorize the different aspects of this experience I wanted to convey. The feelings and outward manifestations of social distancing. The community spirit, shown in inspiring shop windows and signs on businesses and homes. The simple ways that people reached out from inside their homes  to the outside world. In-person services now gone virtual. Glimpses of working from home and new-normal home life. “Closed” signs on favorite businesses. Caution tape around playground equipment. Outward manifestations of patriotism, faith and philosophy. The terror of the grocery store—and the brave people who work there, to whom I am grateful.

Some photos simply aim to document. Others are a bit more indirect, aiming to get at my own fear, loneliness, gratitude, yearning and curiosity—and my deep fascination at living during this extraordinary time.  And, finally, now that I am fully recovered, and Pennsylvania is entering the yellow phase, I am beginning another aspect of the project – a tribute to the essential workers and volunteers I encounter during trips to the grocery store, gas station and drive-in windows. I’m including a brief interview with them, to capture their important views.  

These photos combine to present one person’s sliver of this very strange time, when becoming more physically distant has inspired many of us to rediscover what interpersonal ties, community, faith, philosophy and life itself mean to us, and new-normal habits and realities take hold.- Mary Alice