On Thursday, October 6, attendees of the OAAM Opening, “Being Time,” were greeted with a Treetop reception with cocktails and ambient sounds playing softly in the background, hand-selected to play off the already tranquil sounds of the surrounding forest. Guests gathered for mingling and a special introduction from The Inn’s proprietor, Jason Nies. During the Treetop gathering, artist Katharine Marie presented select guests with a sprig of sage, as an offering for being special contributors to her piece. Immediately following, guests were led by the artist and guided through a portion of the OAAM trail, scattered with cuckoo clocks and hundreds of small votive candles, walking toward the unveiling of the newest OAAM installation.
Upon reaching the covering for the unveiling, Katharine Marie spoke about her six month journey building the piece, addressing struggles she faced and overcame both internally and externally. She invited attendees who were presented with sprigs of sage earlier in the evening to step forward one by one. The sound of a ticking clock played in the background, as she lit each of their sprigs, creating an added level of sensory appeal to the event through the permeating, therapeutic scent of sage accompanied by a light, soothing smoke eerily drifting through the air. The curtain which one shielded the installation was cut and guests were invited to walk through the piece with a critical mindset – to be truly present, or to “be time” as Katharine Marie described, to be proud and uplifting of themselves for completing the trail, and more importantly, self-rewarding of completion in their life as a whole.