Having struggled to maintain a creative practice during the pandemic lockdown, I jumped at the chance to participate in the Trade / Association project in hopes that it would spark a return to my work. My choice of partner was easy—long time friend and collaborator Kate Kaminski. What was more difficult was the lack of a prompt for the first trade, but the answer finally emerged, and I created a small Turkish map fold book marking the first 12 moons of the COVID-19 pandemic. When I received Kate's first piece, I immediately was inspired to start imagining a response, and simply loved this new way of communicating with Kate. I treasure our four pieces.
–MM

I was delighted by the idea of entering a visual conversation with one of my dearest friends and favorite artists. Maureen and I speak often, and, due to shared experiences, leap about in conversations from topic to topic, gradually returning to where we began. I must say I love it. So I was pleased to explore yet another aspect of our ongoing conversation, this time through imagery. The project activated the playful side of my imagination, and I happily daydreamed my response to Maureen's message. I spend so much of my time at my desk, in meetings trying to mind my manners, than the directive to go out and get dirty and creative is a joy.
–KK