White House
Armenian soil on White House 2008 Christmas Tree Ornament
From: GSimpsonStudio @ aol.com Sent: Friday, December 19, 2008 3:31 PM Subject: commonground191.com
Dear Friends,
I began the concept of the art project, Common Ground 191, in early 2002. Since then, and with your generous support, 183 countries' soils have been collected. I hope to finish gathering the last nine early next year.
A recent side story was the invitation to decorate an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. The ornament was enhanced with the combined 183 soil samples collected to date. Crystals were added to identify the countries assisted by the Doctors Without Borders who exemplify the true spirit of giving that this season represents.
When you were gathering the soil for your collection, did you ever think that a portion of it would decorate the U.S. White House Christmas tree? Below is the image of the ornament, which is also available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/2008/ornamentsbystate/ca.html for the 48thCongressional District of California.
Since I am always on the hunt for soils and their stories, please let others know that these final countries—Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, North Korea, Guinea Bissau, Libya, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Timor-Leste, San Marino—remain to complete the project. Please refer your friends and associates to the website for participation. Again, thank you for your wonderful support.
Very truly yours, Gary Simpson