I’ve been struggling to write this newsletter. I’m out of my generic Adderall right now, which has happened twice in the last few months due to the national medication shortage.
I try to feel thankful that going off meds isn’t life-threatening for me, but still, it’s frustrating to meet a wall of fatigue, brain fog, and distraction when I have projects and deadlines I’d like to meet. I’m also sorry to anyone who has seen me drive this week.
With all that in mind, I’m just going to share some news and updates, since that’s all I can really organize my brain around today. Here are some of the interesting things I’ve been up to lately:
New Studio
About a month ago, I moved into a small room at St. Andrew’s Center in the Highland Park neighborhood of Chattanooga. I’m feeling extremely lucky to have a dedicated work space again, and very thankful for the affordable rent that supports local artists.
I’m still getting to know the artist community in this gorgeous repurposed church building. There are painters, costume designers, tailors, and muralists crossing paths every day at St. Andrew’s. The space also hosts sobriety groups, various congregations for weekly services, and a community meditation space. In the basement, Gaining Ground sells affordable organic groceries and fresh produce.
I’m helping put together an open studio night at St. Andrew’s on May 12. If you’re local to Chattanooga, come out that Friday from 6 - 9 PM to see what everyone’s working on at the center!
My First Solo Shows
It’s not quite time to announce the official dates of my first solo exhibit, but I will share that it’s opening in early September 2023 at Workers Art and Heritage Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.
I’ve never visited Canada before, so I’m pretty stoked to spend some time there at WAHC and its partner organization, Centre[3]. The concept of the show is starting to develop around how textile art communicates solidarity across barriers of language, education, and culture. I’m planning on hosting a punch needle embroidery workshop with some members of an immigrant workers’ center in Hamilton, and I’m already dreaming about the collective art pieces we’ll come up with.
WAHC has a smaller gallery space, so I will not be showing the full spectrum of my recent work at the exhibit. Later on, in January 2024, I’m excited to have a more comprehensive solo show at List Gallery at Swarthmore College, Philadelphia, PA. I’ll share more details on both these shows as opening dates approach, but for now I’m just very excited to exhibit with these institutions.
Prints for Sale
I listed a bunch of block prints on my website recently. I try to offer cheap digital prints of my textiles and drawings that pretty much anyone can afford to buy, because otherwise, what’s the point of being a socialist artist?
My actual textiles cost thousands of dollars, so there’s a large divide between the two kinds of customers who buy my work. So I figured, maybe people would like a more special image from me — something I carved out of linoleum and hand-printed on fine Japanese paper with multiple layers of inks that I carefully mixed — but it still doesn’t cost thousands of dollars. It costs like $75.
If you have some spending money and you want a more unique, luxurious piece from me to hang on your wall, then please check out these prints! I really enjoy making them—block printing as a medium is naturally very joyful to me.
That’s all I have for now. Peace, and please tell Joe Biden to give me my medication so I can think again.
Labor Intensive Recommendations:
RRR — I know I am SO late to seeing this movie. But it’s great!
the Gospel of the Working Class by Erik S. Gellman and Jarod Roll — I just got this book that was recommended to me by a newsletter reader.
Seek by iNaturalist — free app that identifies plants through your phone camera. This is a beautiful time of year to walk in the woods and learn the names of all the plants and flowers.
Old church buildings make the best art spaces!