from Valentino Zubiri

Making the Cranes Fly Once Again

Note: I am going to be using www.valentinozubiri.com for all of the Crane Project announcements and text.

In Asia, there is this legend or myth that if you make a thousand origami cranes, your wish will come true. More than ten years ago, I said, as an artist, I am attaching the red AIDS Ribbon to the beak of the crane. I wished for HIV/AIDS to go away; for a cure to be found.

I am now asking you to send me your crane, on behalf of who you would like to honor or remember, or what cause you care about, or what you believe in.

Attach your different colored ribbons to your cranes. Attach your picture or your loved one's. Tell me your story. Then I will arrange all the cranes, in a future time, and I'll share them with the rest of the world. In time, I will help you tell and share your stories and struggles.

I'm doing this as part of a new lesson I have learned for myself. That everyone is important. Even those who are sick or have gone away. You don't even have to be a celebrity. My art may be meaningful, but so can yours be.

I see the world more, the more I step back. Try learning to step back yourself, and you will know what I'm talking about.

In 1996, I got on television, radio and print, when I simply attached the red HIV/AIDS ribbon to the beak of a white origami crane. I said that in some countries in Asia, if you make a thousand cranes, your wish will come true. I said I wished for a cure to be found, and for HIV/AIDS to go away.

It was an East-Meets-West idea. Like a Dove with an Olive twig. It was, for me, inspiration that was so profound that I had to do it. It was a message of hope, but it came from a time when I was depressed.

In a span of four months in 1996, three friends of mine died of HIV/AIDS. Another friend died when his head smashed the brick wall of a house. A group of my friends were having a backyard barbecue, and there was this car with young gang members being chased by the police. The car made an uncontrollable turn and went through the fence and into the party, resulting in some broken bones for some and instant death for my fourth friend.

It was not the belief that my wish could come true, but I was successful in helping to raise awareness of the virus and the disease and the struggle of those afflicted. Remember the time when people were saying that they would never take the red ribbon off of their lapels until a cure could be found. Well, the ribbon came off and there is no cure yet, but awareness was raised. Over the next decade, because of the internet and my old website, I have had responses from all over the world, as far away as Australia and Africa, mostly from nurses who worked in hospitals, who asked me for permission to make the AIDS Crane, which they suspended like mobiles in their places of work. They said the children liked their installations the most.

What I have been up to since then

As an artist, it WAS imperative that I eventually circulate my name around, to make a sale. I had to be the center of my universe. I had always known that I will eventually also become an author. I was already writing and editing for a community magazine, even then; I can trust my writing. Then I came up with the idea that I would write a series of memoirs, about my adventures, or misadventures, and the lessons I learn from others and my own experiences, through the years. I would start from obscurity, and move on. So I became a masseur, which will be my first book, and then got into something else for the second book, which I will disclose later. Then, last year to date, I became a provocateur of sorts in some of Chicago's top galleries, which I hope will become the third book. I'm also looking into the game of mahjong and rewriting the rules for an American tournament. More about these later.

Learning to Step Back

I have always been involved in nonprofit organizations in one way or another. Last year, I read a new way of looking at nonprofit organizations. If you live in a city, you will see the good, glamorous side of the city in the magazines - where to eat, shop, and the nightlife. The city is a draw. But underneath any city, there are the sick, the dying, the depressed and the poor. They are part of the city who also need to live. They live because nonprofits and other agencies are involved with them. There are people who are helping them.

As an artist, I should come forward and assert myself. But it was in stepping back that I got recognized even more. It's a strange phenomenon. I'm actually enjoying this "philosophy." If you try it your way, wherever you are, you will know what I mean.

Where to send your Crane art:

Crane Art, P.O.Box 409022, Chicago, IL 60640

Please check back once in a while, as the address might change. Ship in a flat envelope with a cd or dvd of your artistic statement / essay / poem / video / reading / song / a ribbon / a swatch of fabric / a drawing or any small memorabilia that you would like to include with your crane. Boxes are discouraged for safety reasons unless you email me beforehand. Don't worry about donating if you cannot afford it. You and your art is important. There will always be a few who would help financially.