“The Disgrace – Words and Deeds” by Barbara Brandel

“The Disgrace – Words and Deeds” by Barbara Brandel

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

Artist’s Statement:

Once upon a time there was a bratty little boy who was not very bright, but very white. He was born into a scheming family with lots of money, so he thought he was special and better than everyone. He thought he was a prince. When his father gave him a lot of money, the bratty boy bragged, offended, stiffed, lied, slandered, insulted, ridiculed, assaulted, and threatened anyone and everyone around him but mostly girls and brown-skinned people. He THOUGHT he should be king.

Meanwhile, most of the people of the village saw that he was just a blustering bully. But some were unsure, and thought maybe when he promised something, he could grant their wish. He pretended that he knew things, how to solve their problems, how to be rich like he was, how to have it all. He promised many people many different things, and even convinced some that if they gave him their money, he would grant their wishes. He started to BELIEVE that he COULD be king.

Sometimes he said and did awful things that hurt people and ruined their lives. But he could lie and cheat his way around that. He had practiced for many years. And he was good at blaming others for the very things that he had done. He could create a tornado of confusion in some people’s minds. He attracted a lot of attention, and he LOVED that. He was still a little boy at heart.

He blustered on about everything he could think of that would make people want him to be their king. Bad, selfish things that he believed, that he thought other people secretly believed, too. The little boy didn’t know the names of the things, because he was always a little confused. He called it all “Making Things Great Again.” He started thinking about ordering a crown.

One thing the little boy always did was make sure that any smart girl or darker –skinned person was bullied, slandered, or assaulted. He always said that he liked girls, but some people wondered. There was a girl who was smarter than he was who could beat him at any game. He made sure that she couldn’t, by secretly sabotaging her every move with the help of a very ugly bad bear, and gobs of other people’s money. The ugly bear and the people with gobs of money wanted the boy to do their bidding once he was king. They all wanted more for themselves, less for others.

Long story short, the little brat DID become king, made huge messes everywhere he went, and didn’t understand very much about anything important. He just wanted lots of attention, and wanted his empire to grow fatter at everyone else’s expense. His words and deeds defined him.

We don’t know how the story ends, but the RESISTANCE to his reign kept marching, rallying, writing, calling, working, speaking, art-making, knitting, and stitching for Truth and Justice and Equal Rights for ALL.

Hear a message from Barbara about her piece below:

“Our Fractured Homeland” by Tricia Deck

“Our Fractured Homeland” by Tricia Deck

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

Artist’s Statement: 

Today’s political climate is like nothing we have ever seen. There is so much uncertainty and fear about what will happen. Our political parties are only fighting against each other, with no apparent hope for resolution. Neither side is willing to work together in a bipartisan way. I created my quilt with the visceral fear and realization that our country is fractured! I drew our country’s borders and fractured it from the heartland.

Hear a message from Tricia about her piece below:

“Zahra, Age 5, Syrian Refugee” by Sandra Bruce

“Zahra, Age 5, Syrian Refugee” by Sandra Bruce

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 I first saw the photo of Zahra, taken by Muhammed Muheisen, I knew I would have to make a quilt of her in my Matrix technique. Her face, and especially her eyes, say so much about what she has endured in her young life, and I wanted to capture it in fabric. The children of Syria have suffered beyond belief, and as a mother my heart goes out to them. Her pink hair ties remind us that despite her plight, she is merely a small child, who deserves a childhood, as all children do. The quilt contains approximately 500 2-inch squares, many of them pieced. Photo used with permission from The Associated Press.

Hear a message from Sandra about her piece below:

“#notnormal” by Kristin La Flamme

“#notnormal” by Kristin La Flamme

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

Artist’s Statement:
Up is down and down is up. Lies and misdirection are commonplace. Tearing down the establishment is seen as progress. This piece calls attention to the normalization of Donald Trump’s words and actions on his way to, and in, the White House.

Hear a message from Kristin about her piece below:

“Word Power” by Ann Lee

“Word Power” by Ann Lee

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 started with four panels of words recycled from a piece I created in response to Trump’s campaign call for a border wall. The four panels represented:

• The power of words
• Words of welcome and acceptance
• Words of exclusion and hate
• Groups of people targeted and excluded

It was a 3-D piece with a looming black wall composed of dark hateful words that trap and obscure the color contributed by the diverse mix of people in this wonderful country and threaten to overpower the loving white words. Phrases and sayings about the power of words formed the base. Overall, I was trying to depict the power of words through this piece and how they can be forces for good or evil. Prior to the election, it was the negativity that the Trump wall represented to me that came through most strongly in the piece.

As I reworked the piece to convert it to a wall quilt, my eternal optimism came to the foreground again. As in all of life, the current political situation is a complicated mix of black, white and colors; good and evil. Each comes to surface at different times and circumstances. As I began stitching more words over the original panels, I found that I was creating a chronicle of my longing for harmony, cooperation, and working together. It became a call for digging in, doing the hard work of coming to compromise, and learning to really know and respect each other as human beings.

For many years now, creating art has often provided me with an outlet for coping with difficult situations. The Threads of Resistance show gave me a reason to put all my worries and concerns about our political situation into another artwork to stave off overwhelming anxiety.

Hear a message from Ann about her piece below:

“Seeking Refuge” by Do Palma

“Seeking Refuge” by Do Palma

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 is my response to the ongoing refugee crisis around the world. In addition to paying tribute to the suffering of so many, I am also frustrated at my own country’s refusal to settle refugees, in spite of our capability to do so.

Hear a message from Do about her piece below: