MOON MARCH

by Mel Ohlinger

Moon March was created in 2014 with the help of more than forty preschool children from the University of Wisconsin’s Children’s Learning Center. The process was set up like an assembly line: at one end, we dipped each child’s feet in paint and guided them to “ice-skate” across the canvas. At the far end, their feet were washed in a series of tubs before they dried off with towels. Aside from one enthusiastic child who slipped and left a full-body print, the process went surprisingly smoothly.



The project began as an exploration of the idea of seeing “through the eyes of a child” or approaching life with “childlike faith.” I wanted to know if these concepts of innocence and acceptance could still offer us a way to see the world with more beauty and kindness.

What I discovered was more complicated. While we do value childhood innocence, blind faith isn’t always helpful—we should always be questioning, learning, and growing. Still, there is something worth preserving in the awe and wonder children bring to the world, because often (though not always) it is rooted in love. Children can also be self-centered little creatures, so their perspective isn’t one we should embody entirely. The balance lies somewhere in between: protecting innocence while still pursuing wisdom.

Because this piece was made with children, I used non-toxic paints instead of my usual oils and acrylics. That makes the painting extremely fragile. It has deteriorated quickly over the years, and this image is one of the few records of it in good condition.