Walking the labyrinth

The point of a maze is to find its center. The point of a labyrinth is to find your center.

This month has been full of growth and I am proud of myself for pushing outside my comfort zone and into the unknown. Here are some of the highlights from last week's labyrinth installation:

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On Monday, I headed to the Holland Project with a full car, two kids, and motivation to install the Spooky Action labyrinth in the Serva Pool gallery. Luckily, Holland was hosting a Kids Craft Camp, which meant I could install with my kids onsite. My eldest daughter ended up helping me put the labyrinth together. She's incredible at puzzles, and her participation made the install fun and fast (trust kids!).

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to share the labyrinth with the craft camp participants (ages 6–9). We talked about experiential art and how the five senses help us understand what an artist is communicating. The real lesson came from watching them. They ran straight into the labyrinth without a second thought. No hesitation, no overthinking, just play. It was a clear demonstration of the idea I'd been building the whole piece around, and a good reminder to bring that same fearlessness back into my own work.

Thursday was the reception and artist talk (my first time leading one). I'm a teacher, so standing in front of a room isn't new, but this was different. It was a platform to be vulnerable, to talk openly about what I was discovering; to talk about the piece and about myself. 

About the installation: The name "Spooky Action at a Distance" comes from Einstein's term for quantum entanglement, where two particles stay connected and affect one another instantly, even light years apart. I used this through-line to communicate two core concepts: community through action and timelessness/genetic memory. At the center of the labyrinth sits the Altar of Vessels, a collection of thrown ceramic pieces that became an ode to practice itself. I challenged myself to let go of perfection, and trust that clay, like tradition, carries its own memory.

Support the Holland Project: An incredible organization that runs all-ages music and art opportunities

Support Laika Press: Non-profit community printingmaking studio and darkroom (I silkscreened the labyrinth shirts here)

It was a lovely group, full of family and friends, and the talk was successful despite my nerves. Sharing all of that out loud, with people I love in the room, was harder than I expected and more rewarding than I imagined. Thank you to everyone who came out and walked the path with me (literally and otherwise). What a beautiful life.

I'm looking forward to getting back to my knots series. Thanks for being here - stay tuned. 

Help keep this practice sustainable: buymeacoffee.com/jennysnaza

Exhibition at The Holland Project, July 7-11

Spooky Action by Jenny Snaza features a 20-foot walkable labyrinth and an altar composed of wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramic vessels in The Holland Project’s Serva Pool Gallery. Drawing inspiration from quantum entanglement and Albert Einstein's phrase "spooky action at a distance," the installation explores the concept of interconnectedness across time, space, and generations.

Through an immersive environment, Snaza invites viewers to reflect on themes of collective memory, generational wisdom, and shared human experience. The work is rooted in contemplation of the women who came before and those who will follow, creating a space for honoring labor, grieving lost futures, and imagining new possibilities grounded in safety, care, and love.

"With this project, I wanted to explore timelessness and interconnectivity while embracing the joy of art as a shared experience," says Snaza. "If connections between particles can occur faster than light, perhaps our connections to one another also transcend conventional notions of time. In that space, there is no me- there is only us."

Walk the Labyrinth: July 7-11th

Reception: Thursday, July 9th 6-8pm

Closing/Vessel Sale: Saturday, July 11th 10-2pm

Until I figure this out... https://buymeacoffee.com/jennysnaza

Workshop with Arthur Gonzalez; June 2026

Arthur demonstrating how to make a hollow coil head with the assistance of a traditional coiling base called a ‘puki’

This past week, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with renowned figurative sculptor Arthur Gonzalez to learn the inside-out method that he developed in graduate school. Gonzalez has had a robust career spanning over forty years and has been a tenured professor at the California College of the Arts.

Unexpected discoveries and reminders:

• Clay will always humble you; the final firing was rushed and only about half of the work survived.

• Good art happens through collaboration. Though the body of the piece I made did not survive, I partnered with one of the attendees and together - my head, her body - we made a whole new creation. Honestly, I love the androgynous form and I think it works well with this ‘god-like’ figure to be sexless, genderless.

• Bodies are vessels. We constructed the heads like a traditional coil pot - upside down in “Pukis”

• Reminder to connect with people of different ages and abilities. The amount of experience in the room was tempered by several complete beginners. I learned valuable lessons from both.

• People are resistant to think of themselves as artists. Some of my most talented and experienced classmates were hesitant to use the word “artist” as a descriptor - instead preferring to self-identify as potters, crafters, or more.

• The artist mythos is self-constructed through narrative. The stories we tell about ourselves are the ones that people hold onto.

• The power of repair. Arthur showed us a simple way to use gravity to help repair pieces and explained his process of repairing a large sculpture that was damaged “upon repair” that he fixed one piece at a time over two years.

What an experience! I’m grateful to have been able to make space for this growth.

Labyrinth goddess head on drying rack.

Hello, goddess. Loved how her expression came through.

R and me with our new artwork (my head, her body)

Reshaping Practice; June 2026 Reflections

In the spirit of sharing, I wanted to give an update on all the art happenings that have been shaping my practice this year.

Importantly, I spent some proper time learning to throw on the pottery wheel. Clay is slow and a great teacher. It demands patience, nurturing, and forgiveness. It does not respond unless you are listening. It is earth- it is tradition- it demands a pace of making that is intrinsically human. I've truly fallen for this welcome craft.

Things I'm grateful for and celebrating this year:

- My work was published in a juried art publication - 100 Emerging Artworks of 2025.

- I deepened my relationship with the history and tradition of labyrinths and shared their spiritual wisdom with young people.

- I participated in the Art + Environment Summit at the Nevada Art Museum and met the one and only, Rose B. Simpson, whose current work is influenced by motherhood.

- I attended the National Arts Educator Conference in Chicago.

- I was selected as a summer FLUX artist by the Holland Project. Show announcement coming soon!

- I wore all the hats and patched up skinned knees and all of that much more important stuff.

With all the monumental shifts happening in our world, I have found solace in the stolen minutes that I used to make art. My process looks like trying to actualize the forms and concepts that bounce in my mind when I'm supposed to be doing other things, important, things. My skills have improved over time and I get closer to sharing that vision, that idea, that feeling, in a way that is not overly didactic.

And, since you read this much, please save the date to walk the labyrinth installation that I am creating at the Holland Project this summer: Thursday, July 9th...more info to come!

Art is community, community is art. Let's make something together. 

Until I figure this out... https://buymeacoffee.com/jennysnaza