For ten days in December, all of America will be united through art. After thirteen months, Hawai'i became the fiftieth state to participate when the Ramsey Art Museum  joined artists Kristin Abraham and Alfonso Llamas on their quest to connect the United States through art. It is called The Nomadic Project, and one gallery, museum, or art center in each of the fifty states is displaying a single painting that was inspired by a neighboring state. The goal is to celebrate the similarities and differences that lay within the land called America, and remind everyone of the beauty and adventure that is within.

When visual artist, Kristin Abraham and musician, Alfonso Llamas saw the United States divided through war, politics, race and religion, they realized that the only way to find unity would be to return to the source. With a nation divided into fifty uniquely different states, one thing that everyone can agree on is the beauty of this diversity. So Abraham and Llamas set out to visit the big cities, small towns, and National Historic sites that make up this broken nation, and pull it together with art.

After a year of living out of their orange Honda Element, Abraham and Llamas finally arrived in their fiftieth state. The artists flew to Hawai'i with a Georgia-inspired painting titled "The Secret Within." They met with nationally recognized artist, Ramsay, at the Ramsay Museum in Honolulu. The museum was excited to display the piece from the Nomadic Series in their front window until December 31st, wheras the Hawai'i painting is displayed at The Wallflower Gallery in Miami, Florida. This fiftieth painting completes the connection, and returns the artists to Florida, where they left in November of 2005.

Abraham and Llamas have officially spent a week in each state, giving Abraham the opportunity to respond to her experiences by painting a 24 x 30" canvas. That painting is carried to the next state, where it is displayed in a participating gallery until the end of 2006. From December 21st-31st, all fifty states will be displaying inspiration from their neighbor. This process physically unites the country through art, by blurring state borders. 

The Ramsay Art Museum and Wallflower Gallery join venues such as: The Whistler Museum of Art (Lowell, MA), Ward-Nasse Gallery (New York, NY), American Fine Art (Dallas, TX), Crossroads Contemporary (Santa Fe, NM), Carla Schmidt Gallery (San Francisco, CA), Habitat Gallery (Denver, CO), and the Portland Art Center (Portland, OR) along with many other participating galleries across the country. A complete list of the galleries can be viewed at www.TheNomadicProject.com.

While Abraham worked in paint, Llamas has recorded the experience through original music and works on a documentary of this physical and emotional journey. With an acoustic guitar, he created poetic melodies on a laptop, right from the road. For the eleven months leading up to November of 2007, this work will be edited and produced in preparation for Nomadic Exhibit. In the meantime, it can be experienced on line at www.TheNomadicProject.com, along with the artwork, journal entries, and more. The artists also encourage viewers to respond to and share their experences via email at TheNomadicProject@gmail.com. Emails may even find their way into the traveling exhibit!

While the fifty paintings are currently spread throughout the entire country, it is in November of 2007, when all of the work created during the journey will be united for the first time in a physical exhibit. This show is scheduled to travel to each region of the country, following the original path taken by the artists. The music, documentary, sketches and journal entries will be displayed along with the paintings in order to provide all aspects of the artists' travels. These records indicate how the country has revealed itself to them, and changed the way they view life, as well as the country. Abraham and Llamas hope that The Nomadic Project will bring excitement and inspiration to all those who call this land their home.

For more information and interview opportunities, please contact Alfonso Llamas at e-mail address TheNomadicProject@gmail.com. To learn more about the Ramsay Art Museum or The Wallflower Gallery, visit www.ramsay.art.museum and www.wallflowergallery.com.