Monthly Statement:
November 2005
I’m enjoying riding the wave of serendipitous occurrences that promise to affect the course of my project. The most outlandish of these is, of course, my email correspondence with Jeff, the Deputy Sheriff from the Milwaukee County Jail who must have linked up to the Accumulation Project website and subsequently to my email address through fellow accumulator Eric’s request on Craigslist for AOL disks. Before any soap changed hands Jeff and I emailed back and forth sorting out the particulars of the transaction. At one point, I asked him if he knew administrators in other prisons who might be willing to participate and he responded: “…yes I have friends in jail pretty much all over the country. I am the 2nd Vice President of the Wisconsin Fraternal Order Of Police. So the question to you is how much do you want?” Now this really began to excite me---I was reeling with the possibilities!

After a couple of weeks passed, I hadn’t received any soap, but got an email from Jeff that might have devastated me had I not intuitively realized that he’s the kinda guy who gets things done if he says he will:

“Jill, oddly enough my administrator is concerned about the potential of this soap being a "Biohazard".
I had quite a bit of soap for you but the Brass stepped in and put a stop on it. I should be able to plead my case that is(sic) is a community service by supporting the arts. They love the community service aspect. I'll let you know by Wednesday."
--JEFF

I bit my nails until Wednesday rolled around, but sure enough, Jeff emailed back in triumph:

“Howdy, after much debate I've got the goods. maybe two pounds or so. My co-workers think I have actually lost it.
The inmates are convinced that we are collecting the soap, taking it into our secret "Soap Press" and squeezing it into fresh bars.”

Now this tidbit was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined! “Secret Soap Press”---priceless!

I let Jeff know how much I appreciate his ability to delight in the absurdity of this endeavor.

He responded back:
“See, I've been jailing for over 12 years now. Jail in itself is a real drag. From both perspectives, inmate and staff. If I can't make it just a little bit interesting, unusual, funny or whatever to provide just a slight distraction…we all lose…With this little soap project I have given inmates and staff an outlet. They will be talking about this on and off for weeks to come. They ALL think I'm nuts…. I have been lovingly been granted the unofficial title of "Ass Soap Deputy". Not to worry, these are Milwaukee's FINEST Criminals...I can take it.”

So in my opinion, Jeff is one KOOL guy! I emailed him back with some shipping instructions and suggested that maybe I could use the soap to “…build a scaled down replica of the Bastille, complete with gallows!”

I hope I was joking.

(To be continued in next month’s statement)

Another interesting coincidence occurred in early November while I was de-installing a show at Icebox, a hip new gallery in a blighted area of Philadelphia. That morning, the gallery was hosting “Ready Willing and Able”, a local organization of gentlemen who serve the community by cleaning up and generally keeping a watchful eye on the area. The wear blue suits while on duty, and I believe the organization maintains a residence facility for them. One of the organizers from the gallery asked me if I would do a 5-minute presentation of my art to the guests, and I took the opportunity to put in a plug for The Accumulation Project, suggesting maybe we could work out an Aladdin-like deal, exchanging “old soaps for new.” They were most enthusiastic, and in December, I will follow up on the offer. I also took a picture (see photos) of the Ready Willing and Able crew in front of one of my pieces from the show for the gallery and Ready Willing and Able to use for PR. Everybody was happy.

I forgot to include in October’s statement that I mentioned my soap collecting to an instructor at Maryland Institute College of Art where I work and she recounted a story about a friend of hers who found out that he had cancer. She said that in the initial shock of his diagnosis he made an unusual statement to her. Something like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me---I’ve always been such a good person…I don’t waste anything…I even save the ends of my soap and use them until they’re gone.’ She said she found it odd that her friend associated the idea of being a good person with using the last bits of a bar of soap, but after he died, she began to save the ends of her soap bars in his memory. She said that she remembers having quite a collection at one time, but she doesn’t know what happened to them. She’d look around, and if she found them, they’d be mine. When I ran into her last week, she said she was going to Malaysia the following day and has not had a chance to look. I hope she finds them---I’m touched by the story behind her collection, and would love to include it in my piece. Even if she can’t find it, though, I feel like she’s made a significant contribution to the project through sharing this story in memory of her friend.

My family gathered in Cincinnati to celebrate my nephew’s bar mitzvah, and I was pleased that my sister has been saving soap for me---her husband commented that she comes in while he’s taking a shower and steals the worn down bars right outta his hand. My niece is in her first quarter of college and she showed up with a nice collection garnered from her dorm mates. One was a lovely transparent fuchsia color---a rare gem, indeed.

Process: I will be accumulating remnants of used bars of soap by soliciting contributions through networks of friends and acquaintances. I am also looking into receiving donations through local hotels and collection boxes set up in various locales.