“Tears For America” by Rebecca Fellows

“Tears For America” by Rebecca Fellows

photo by Ken Sanville

This is one in a series of posts featuring an artist whose work is included in the Threads of Resistance exhibition.

Artist’s Statement:

Guns and gun violence have intruded into our daily lives. Nowhere is safe. Mass shootings, violence against women and “accidental” deaths of children by unsecured guns is rampant. Gun rights enthusiasts want guns everywhere – schools, churches, parks, theaters. And gun rights politicians refuse to let the CDC study gun violence as a major health problem. My question is “WHY?” Why do we need guns everywhere? Why guns in schools? Why guns at the grocery, in the workplace, at the movies, on playgrounds? Why?

Hear a message from Rebecca about her piece below:

“100 Days” by Jamie Fingal

“100 Days” by Jamie Fingal

This is one in a series of posts featuring an artist whose work is included in the Threads of Resistance exhibition.

Artist’s Statement:

100 days of pure outrage every day. Something different and outrageous with fake news, alternative facts and issues that shook the core of my being. I got up and got involved in the fight. These words have stuck with me, the things that mean the most. I shake my head every day at the bait and switch and the tearing apart of our country. Call your representatives and let your voice be heard.

Hear a message from Jamie about her piece below:

“Not So Safe” by Amy Dame

“Not So Safe” by Amy Dame

This is one in a series of posts featuring an artist whose work is included in the Threads of Resistance exhibition.

Artist’s Statement:

After the Nov. 8, 2016, election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, a trend emerged on social media. Wearing a safety pin was celebrated as an easy way to show support for those negatively affected by his win, and the idea spread rapidly.

Those in favour of the concept claimed that a simple safety pin attached to one’s coat would show that person to be a “safe space” for people who were being further marginalized by Trump and his followers. As the idea grew, even people who voted for Donald Trump celebrated it as a way to show the world that the wearer was “still a good person,” despite voting to limit or deny the basic human rights of others.

People who were actually affected by Trump’s racism, misogyny, homophobia, Islamophobia, ableism and more were less enthusiastic. While certainly some People of Colour (POC), immigrants, LGBTQ, or Muslim people appreciated the thought, many more questioned why a true ally would need a visible symbol of their support for human rights. Wouldn’t they be visible as an ally because of their actions? Wouldn’t marginalized people learn that they were trustworthy because the person has been taking actions and speaking out against oppression as they witness it?

Oppressed people know all too well the history of well-meaning allies who claim to support them, while simultaneously keeping quiet, refusing to take actions that might endanger their privilege, or outright causing harm to the people that they purport to protect.

While many of the people who wear safety pins may have the best of intentions, marginalized people have no way of knowing which of those safety pins will pop open and harm them, which means that the safety pin movement really doesn’t symbolize anything other than the guilt of privileged people looking for forgiveness from those who are oppressed.

Hear a message from Amy about her piece below:

“Equality” by Kerri Green

“Equality” by Kerri Green

This is one in a series of posts featuring an artist whose work is included in the Threads of Resistance exhibition.

Artist’s Statement:

I chose the word EQUALITY, blazoned in the colors of the rainbow flag representing LBGTQ rights, to be a positive symbol of virtue and hope for our politically divided society. The original flag, designed by artist Gilbert Baker included eight colors. Pink represented sexuality; red was life; orange was healing; yellow was sunlight; green was nature; turquoise was art; indigo was harmony; and violet was the human spirit.

Hear a message from Kerri about her piece below:

“Flint Water” by Sylvia Hernandez

“Flint Water” by Sylvia Hernandez

This is one in a series of posts featuring an artist whose work is included in the Threads of Resistance exhibition.

Artist’s Statement:

I made this quilt to bring attention to the poisoning of the water in Flint Michigan and the lack of interest in fixing the situation. I wrote a message in Spanish because immigrant families were not given bottled water from the government because they did not have ID.

Hear a message from Sylvia about her piece below:

“Dear Mr Trump” by Neroli Henderson

“Dear Mr Trump” by Neroli Henderson

This is one in a series of posts featuring an artist whose work is included in the Threads of Resistance exhibition.

Artist’s Statement:

Dear Mr Trump,

here’s my pussy and you can’t grab it, I don’t care how rich you are.

I’m naked but you can’t sexualize me.

I’m not your honey and never will be.

I’m more than a collection of my parts.

I’m standing here with my legs spread telling you that I’m your equal.

You don’t speak for me.

You don’t stand for me.

You don’t represent what I represent.

My body, my choice.

And so Dear Donald … go fuck yourself.

Me.

Why a nude woman? Women’s nipples are cause for censorship, whereas men’s nipples are OK, so using a nude woman to me is a bit of a middle finger up at the gender disparity I see daily. Also as an anti-Trump piece, I see a man who boasted of the way he sexualises women, and a way for me to get across my feelings on this is to use a nude woman, a woman whom he (and many other people) would sexualise even more, who would be perceived as being more vulnerable due to her lack of clothes or “armoury.” I think it gives more power to her stance. She is unapologetic for her nakedness, she is not feeling the slightest bit vulnerable or bare. She’s telling the world to back the hell off and that it’s her body and her choice. It shows that women can be powerful and it’s only society’s own perceptions of sexuality and nakedness that skew the concept of what amount of skin is OK. How can we move forward towards true equality when we elect a man into the highest office in the world who has openly spoken about objectifying and mistreating women? It sends a message to males everywhere that behaviour of that sort is acceptable. I for one am sick to death of hearing how women taunt men into sexual assault through how they dress or what they do, when the onus should be on men behaving better.

Various words are stitched into the background of this piece including: ‘Nice Girls Don’t’, ‘Eat Your Words’, ‘Trust Me’ and ‘Think.”

 

Hear a message from Neroli about her piece below: