Joyce Goodman

Leaps: 1932-2031 (2019)
silk on cotton canvas
36 x 12 in.

Leaps: 1932-2031 interweaves leap year patterns of three calendars over 100 years. The four-year pattern of the solar Gregorian calendar appears in yellow. Green and blue, respectively, represent the Chinese and Hebrew calendar leap years, lunar calendars with differing patterns that repeat every 19 years.

The calendars affiliate, part, and realign.

This piece is part of my current series, The Calendar Project. The series compares time measurement across many cultures. Generally, calendars evolve from observing universal natural cycles. Yet, the multitude of systems stemming from our shared planetary journey diverge on many paths. The Calendar Project visually illustrates and contrasts the patterns that emerge.

Demonstrating varied year ends, year lengths, year counts, and leap years, the project presents daybreaks drifting and months wandering along different cultural rhythms despite shared light, night, and seasonal shifts.

The series includes stitched, printed, and assembled works, as well as drawings and artist books.

In a climate of increased intolerance and division The Calendar Project declares differing cultural truths, perceptions, and interpretations as valid and deserving of respect by integrating them into rich, beautiful patterns.

© Joyce Goodman