Amanda Saint Claire was our final resident at the Desert Dairy this season. She sneaked in when it was just getting, let's say, warm. She spent her days in the apartment AC writing, and her evenings painting and creating a personal space in Cindy Zimmerman's "Rain Grotto." Amanda is developing a sound practice, plus the lighting and scents were gorgeous. www.amandasaintclaire.com

Cindy Rinne worked in both the Residency apartment and in the White Box Gallery, getting ready for her performance at the High Desert Fringe Festival at Tower Homestead in Wonder Valley. She makes costumes and ritual objects, and performs her poetry. She received an Arts Connection, San Bernardino Arts Council Micro Grant to come to the Desert Dairy! 

I am more than my body
 
The Netherworld holds
confusion     fear     loss
   my body needs               repair
I retreat inside my womb
 
Lanterns light the way
   I bathe            in calming waters
incense        prayer        not knowing
close my eyes and enter the silence
 
As the world breathes me
a bloodline       of the unseen
    underwater ancestors
intone     healing sounds     in unison   
 
Aura shifts beyond my pain
   my soul conducts cosmic currents
I gather clothes     adorned     with stars
  Polaris        glows          within        
 
©_Cindy Rinne