Non Solus, 2015-2025, 17,882 real and imitation pearls sent to me by 166 people and from my own collection, silk thread, 11 x 10 x 9 in. Images: Josef Jacques
Non Solus
I started Non Solus while living in Iceland in 2015; the idea, in part, came from a participatory piece I had made the year before involving friends. For Non Solus, I broadened the participation from close friends to anyone and everyone. I asked for pearls, real or imitation, and 147 people responded with 10,645 pearls, much to my astonishment. I never imagined that response. I thought I would make a sculpture the size of my fist, but instead, I created a piece that weighed over 7 1/2 lbs. The pearls I received were special and many people wrote letters describing their donation and why they were giving it to me. I shed many tears as people shared memories of love and loss. I was also constantly humbled and gratified. I continued to work on the piece over the course of ten years, adding more pearls from more people as time went on.
Non solus means “never alone” in Latin. I chose this title because I see this object as a fictitious body organ with a function to create feelings of connection and to help us feel never alone, even if we are. Scientific names for organs are often in Latin, so “non solus” is fitting.
Since the beginning, the piece has expanded to include 17,882 pearls from 166 people as well as about 500 of my own. I completed the piece in February 2025.
Non Solus Participants
Chris Keener, Huron, OH - Terry Taylor, Candler, NC - Lisa Norton, Shoreline, WA - Renee Zettle-Sterling, Coopersville, MI - Amy Hockett, Charlotte, NC - Bonnie Lambert, Helena, MT - Lucia Tremont, Syracuse, NY - Rebbecca Tomas, Seattle, WA - Charlene Schneider, Maineville, OH - Ellen Vontillius, Swannanoa, NC - Denise McCarthy, Houston, TX - Gill Miller, Lancaster Park, England - Shannon Cobb-Tappan, Dunedin, FL - Mark Fenn, Capel Iwan, Wales - Jowita Allen, Chevy Chase, MD - Baba Barnett, Raleigh, NC - Shava Lawson, Seattle, WA - Janna and Leah Marinelli, Traveler’s Rest, SC - Kelly Johnston, Bainbridge Island, WA - Kathy Clark, Reykjavík, Iceland - Laura Siegel, Brooklyn, NY - Jannie Rozema, Wageningen, Netherlands - Rachel Ehlers, Lake Ridge, VA - Tom McCarthy, St. Louis, MO - Anastasia Young, London, England - Jane Wells Harrison, Lenoir, NC -Janet Link, Raleigh, NC - Jenny Baughman, Roswell, GA - Lisa Juen, Utica, NY - Hilary Pfeifer, Portland, OR - Susie Luyet, Paia, HI - Sarah Powell, Oberhaching, Germany - Liz Willis, Pirton, England - Philip Sajet, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Jen Townsend, Pittsford, NY - Heather Allen, Raleigh, NC - Raissa Bump, San Francisco, CA - Michael Magno, Brooklyn, NY - Casey Shepard, Los Angeles, CA - Eileen Wallace, Athens, GA - Kathy Brughelli, Middletown, RI - Marianne Dages, Philadelphia, PA - Fritz Maierhofer, Vienna, Austria - Dan Price, Chicago, IL - Mary Quin, Decatur, GA - Claire Sommers Buck, Austin, TX - Linda Callahan, Gloversille, NY - Katie Rosenthal, San Diego, CA - David Chatt, Penland, NC - Chris Boland, Sheffield, England - Rachel Davis, Milwaukee, WI - Kris Baker, Seattle, WA - Maria Phillips, Seattle, WA - Lori Hawke-Ramin, LaFayette, NY - Michele Tuegel, St. Petersburg, FL - Kelsey Simmen, San Francisco, CA - Erin Wheeler, Johnstown, NY - Crystalyn Brennan, Brooklyn, NY - Elisa Bongfeldt, Berkeley, CA - Stephanie Voegele, Milwaukee, WI - Adrienne Smart, Lincoln, NE - Susan Owen, Vilas, NC - Elizabeth Brim, Penland, NC - Meadow Thurston (in memorium) - Carolina Apolonia, Middelburg, Netherlands - Rebecca Illet, Cambridge, England - Kathy Edwards Hayslett, Coralville, IA -Madeleine Veillet, Gaspé, Quebec, Canada - Virginia Hungate-Hawk, Seattle, WA - Tracy Scott, Atlanta, GA - Michelle Smith-Lewis, Seattle, WA - Sarah Rachel Brown, Philadelphia, PA - Jenna Warburton, Seattle, WA - Paul Casey, Seattle, WA - Lisa Macutchan Gray, Seattle, WA - Lori Talcott, Seattle, WA - Catherine Chandler, Portland, OR - Stacey Mosteller and Noreen Coveny, Endicott and Richfield Springs, NY - Holinka Escudero, Mexico City, Mexico - Jane Ponsford, Esher, England - Jan Smith, Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada - Mary Wolaniuk, Boulder, CO - Christina Carlbaum, Gnarp, Sweden - Louise Perrone, Vancouver, BC, Canada - Devon Matlock, San Francisco, CA - Siri Kvalfoss, Tyssedal, Norway - Claire MacDonald, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Emily Kidson, London, England - Michele Wyckoff Smith, London, England - Tara Locklear, Raleigh, NC -Robin Kranitzky and Kim Overstreet, Richmond, VA - Natascha Bybee, Seattle, WA - Natalia Araya, Valencia, Spain - Katja Prins, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Diego Richardson Nishikuni, London, England - Andrea Wagner, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Lylli Meredith, Seattle, WA - Elle Sharifpour, San Francisco, CA - Miri Admoni, Sde Tzvi, Israel - Bonnie Levinthal, Philadelphia, PA - Lien de Clercq, Antwerp, Belgium - Melody Woodnutt, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and Katharina Schneider, Blönduós, Iceland - Karen Vanmol, Antwerp, Belgium - Yvette Dibos, San Diego, CA - Devon Clark, Palm Harbor, FL - Amy Sledge, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, China - Amy Bishop, Aptos, CA - (No first name) Payne, Long Beach, CA - Anastasia Egorova Shelyakina, Illes Balears, Spain - Cathy Woodall, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England - Caitlin Skelcey, Urbana, IL - Sam Woehrmann, San Francisco, CA - Rachel Weidinger, Oakland, CA - Hilde De Decker, Antwerp, Belgium - Kit de Sousa and Bette Schuler, Randolph, NJ and Tucson, AZ - Melissa Lyon, Sherman, NY - Susan Bolding, Hayward, CA - Catherine Chambers, Ísafjörður, Iceland - Jonis Black-Parr, Seattle, WA - Christina Shmigel, Shanghai, China/Bakersville, NC - Nikki Couppee, Oakland, CA - Sara Erkers, Gothenburg, Sweden - Dawn Nakanhishi, Soquel, CA - Kerianne Quick, San Diego, CA - Shane Prada, Baltimore, MD - Mike Holmes, San Francisco, CA - Julia Turner, San Francisco, CA - Tescia Seufferlein, Oakland, CA - Lisa Fidler, Petaluma, CA - Sharon Tavern, Richfield Springs, NY - Elísa Mjöll Guðsteinsdóttir, Los Angeles, CA - Brooke Marks-Swanson, South Bend, IN - Lisa Heller, Philadelphia, PA - Kathleen Browne, Ravenna, OH - Megan McGaffigan, Vancouver, WA - Maya Kini, San Francisco, CA - Maria Porges, Oakland, CA - Chelsea Poe, Oakland, CA - Liz Oppenheim, Oakland, CA - Sara Valente, Herkimer, NY - Helga Mogensen, Reykjavík, Iceland - Zoe Ani, San Francisco, CA - Kristin Beeler, Long Beach, CA - Nancy Yonema, San Francisco, CA - Amy Tucker, Fredericksburg, TX - Rachel Koszka, Seattle, WA - Ellen Drew, Los Altos, CA - Jennifer Francica, Larkspur, CA - Roxy Lentz, Clarksville, IN - Ines Vespeira de Almeida, Montijo, Spain - Nisa Blackman, Normal, IL - Margaux Lange, Beacon, NY - Quiana Ellis, Oakland, CA - Laura French, Alameda, CA - Sher Novack, Sea Ranch, CA - Jori Ketten, Brooklyn, NY - Rachel Shimpock, Long Beach, CA - Promise Callahan, San Francisco, CA - Lily Marylander, San Francisco, CA - Posy DiPaolo, San Francisco, CA - Angel Lusky, San Francisco, CA
Non Solus, 2015-on-going, 17,878 real and imitation pearls sent to me by 163 people and my own pearls, silk thread, 11 x 10 x 9 in. Image from 2022.
Non Solus, 2015 on-going participatory object, 10,645 real and imitation pearls sent to me by 147 people, my own pearls, silk thread, 11 x 8 1/2 x 8 in. Images: Jamee Crusan, 2017
