…Anything But Empty
Boxes I’ve collected throughout my life were displayed at the Heard-Craig Center for the Arts July 22 – August 18, 2020. The physical display is no longer available, but you can still take a PDF online tour of the collection.
Read the Heard-Craig Center for the Arts blog
The Collection
Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by boxes of all kinds. I like the idea that boxes contain things, and that they hide surprises inside. But more than 
anything, I love the memories attached to them.
As I’ve pulled together this collection, I’ve handled each of these 100+ boxes, many of which sat on a shelf for years. As I open each one, I remember people who are gone now; precious times that have passed; the child, adolescent and woman I have been; and garage sale finds that delighted me.
I hope you find some joy and surprise in exploring these little treasures.
If the box contains something, it will be listed. If there is nothing in the box, no contents are listed. View the collection PDF
In Boxes
Open the lid and look inside,
there’s naught for you to see.
Yet truth be told, there’s a lot inside…
If who you ask is me.
I hold in my hand a little box,
given with love in mind.
There’s a world of mem’ry stashed inside
of the warm and loving kind.
Wood and metal, glass and clay,
each one different and fine,
I think of the time, the person, the gift,
feel a warmth that’s only mine.
Yet some weren’t gifts from someone else,
I gave them to myself.
A little gem I saw somewhere
and added to my shelf.
I’ve cleaned and polished every one
to show them at their best,
Gave the meaning of some of them
and let you wonder about the rest.
Who would gather such a batch
of boxes over the years?
It’s kind of silly to have so many
my inner critic jeers.
Yet here we are, I’m showing you
some bits of my insides.
And you are here, looking and seeing
each piece as it confides,
The loves I’ve had and lost again,
the child who’s grown so tall,
Precious friends who’ve gone away
and friends I still can call.
So, lift the lid off your heart and mind,
and let the journey start,
For a story told in boxes is…
an adventure of the heart.
Susan Mardele, July 2020