Valise 1 - Fire Line is specific to firefighting. The exterior is adorned with the first names of the women that Abeles worked with at Camp 13.
Photo Credit Ken Marchionno
Valise 1 - Fire Line is specific to firefighting. The exterior is adorned with the first names of the women that Abeles worked with at Camp 13. Photo Credit Ken Marchionno
"Pearls of Wisdom: End the Violence" 
Pearls created by workshop participants
"Pearls of Wisdom: End the Violence" Pearls created by workshop participants
Sweet Dreams

Artist Statement

My work has included many genres and involved specialists in diverse fields of study, community groups of all ages, projects worldwide, and an open mind to modes of visual art. I have focused on subjects including the urban environment, feminism, aging, HIV/AIDS, labor, mental health, and collective memory.

Through the years, I have acquired a uniquely broad skillset for art-making. Technically, I create through an unlimited range of materials, and conceptually, the development of my work heightened my interest in the concept of community, public venues, and art’s relevance for society.

In 2012, my journals, artist books, and process-related objects were archived at the Center for Art + Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art. The preparation of these materials gave me a fresh perspective on the relationship between the biographical and environmental themes in my art.

As my work progressed, the inter-relationship between art and community has become seamless. Art that provides a viewer with meaningful portrayals of nature and society is in service to re-engage a person with the physical world; this is where positive change has a possibility to take place. If one does not love the world, that same person will not imagine a need to protect it.