“We Walk Together in Search of Liberty” by Claire Passmore

“We Walk Together in Search of Liberty”

by Claire Passmore

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

Artist’s Statement:    

March 15, 2011, Syria: popular protests began in many parts of the country, expressing discontent toward the government of Bashar al-Assad. His government responded with brutal force. Since then a great number of alleged human rights violations have occurred, initiated by many groups. Mass executions, chemical weapons, thermobaric weapons and cluster bombs have all been used on the population. It is estimated that around half a million people have been killed. Those who were able have fled the country by car, train plane, and boat and on foot, walking together. Human traffickers have made a fortune. Politicians have “made their name.” By March 2017 the number of refugees that have fled Syria exceeded 5 million and more than 6 million others are internally displaced. More than 50% of the refugees are children. But this is not about numbers. It is about people. This conflict has taken many complex twists and turns, and the horrors the refugees have experienced are unimaginable to those of us who live safe lives far from this place. Many people have welcomed the refugees. Many people have not. To them I say this…

Put yourself in their shoes for just a moment. Imagine packing a single bag, gathering what is left of your family together, and closing the door to your home for the last time. You have left your job, your car, your possessions. Everything you ever worked for. There is no longer any food, no water, no shelter. It has all been destroyed. So you start to walk in the hope that you can be somewhere safe. Where? Who knows? But anywhere would be better than here.

In the years to come, when those children are grown into adults, what will they think of us, and how will they react to us – the rest of the world? Will they say, “It’s OK – you did your best. There were a lot of us and you had your lives to lead. We understand that your country was ‘full’ and that you were broke and had no more money to spend on anyone else.” Or will they be furious at the way they were treated in their hour of desperate need? Herded into camps, hounded and chased out of towns, cities and countries, left to fend for themselves, banned from entry…

And what will happen then?

Hear a message from Claire about her piece below:

“Death of Science” by Phyllis Cullen

“Death of Science” by Phyllis Cullen

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

Artist’s Statement:

The staggering ignorance, incompetence, greed, of this incredible kakistocracy of ridiculously and tragically unsuitable administration appointees have led to an abundance of proposals and dictates that threaten to roll back environmental, medical, climatological and other scientific research and protections. They threaten the well being and existence of humans, animals, and the earth itself.

 

Hear a message from Phyllis about her piece below:

Unplugged by Kelli Perkins

“Unplugged” by Kelli Perkins

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

Artist’s Statement:

When creating, I am drawn to the intersection where the common, everyday object meets an unexpected element. Often, this encounter reveals inconsistencies in how we relate to one another. The same hands that bake a pie can build a bomb. Malevolence is most disturbing when it’s woven into the mundane.

In acceptance that kindness and corruption co-exist, my work revels in bright colors and frenetic stitching, expressing an unfailing sense of optimism. Whether through genetics or environment, I’ve inherited an unshakeable feeling that everything will be all right.

In “Unplugged” we see that the media has abandoned truth for the far more colorful and enticing lies, lies and more lies. The untruths are so mesmerizing that we can’t look away, even as the sign-off test pattern fills the screen. The lies, though bright and cheerful, are tangled up and knotted, causing confusion. We don’t know where one ends and another begins. We have come unplugged from reality, though the scissors-wielding agent of our doom has not been named. We must learn who benefits from the perpetuation of alternative facts in order to trace the roots of our problem and restore our future. It may be time for us to turn off the screen and talk to each other. 




Hear a message from Kelli about her piece below:

“Speaking Out” by Linda Friedman

“Speaking Out” by Linda Friedman

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

Artist’s Statement:

This work seeks to underscore the sacrosanct nature of our freedom to express ideas, beliefs and opinions without censorship, limitation or obstruction.

 

Hear a message from Linda about her piece below:

“Speak Truth” by Katherine McClelland

“Speak Truth” by Katherine McClelland

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

Artist’s Statement:

As a middle class, white, cisgender female I am surrounded by privilege. I am guilty of being complacent. During Obama’s administration I was happy to let others fight the battles, comfortable with the idea that those in power would put the welfare of the people first. This was a mistake. We are country built on the idea of government for and by the people. That requires us to be actively involved in that government. This piece is about becoming more involved in disrupting hate and supporting my fellow human beings. Marching with my 12-year-old daughter in Washington D.C. in January was an important and empowering moment for me so I chose to focus on an image of myself wearing the iconic Pink Pussy hat. I wanted the words to be present but not overpowering. To see all the text the viewer has to move around, change their viewpoint, and take a moment to read. In doing so, the viewer becomes more active and less passive.

 

Hear a message from Katherine about her piece below:

“Resist” by Hope Wilmarth

“Resist” by Hope Wilmarth

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

Artist’s Statement: 

2017 has seen protest rallies on the rise in all corners of the world. Resistance with its sharp and jagged edges has demanded attention. Resistance is being noted, slowly and surely.

Hear a message from Hope about her piece below:

“Next Target” by Gillian Moss

“Next Target” by Gillian Moss

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

Artist’s Statement: 

A piece made after hearing the news about the first person deported since Trump became President. A young woman called Garcia de Rayos was deported after checking in with authorities as she had been for the last 20 years. New rules meant she was deported to Mexico, a country she hadn’t lived for at least 30+ years. She had to leave her husband and two children. She was made an example of! I made this piece initially with such anger but once I started, I realized it felt like a stone had been lifted off my chest.

Hear a message from Gillian about her piece below: