APARTOGETHER
Many of you may already know of Liza Lou — an artist I have admired for many years. From 1991 to 1996 she created a life size beaded KITCHEN that is presently exhibited at the Whitney Museum. I encourage everyone to see it in person when this Coronavirus pandemic leaves our doorstep.
Today, in response to the “Shelter In Place” mandate all of us are experiencing, Lisa began a project called #apartogether_art as a means to allow those who is are stitching a way to share their projects with one another through Instagram.
I had been working on large scale pieces embedded with “dark” messaging, and was finding it hard to keep working on them during this COVID19 period. Upon hearing of this project, I felt it would be a terrific jumping off point to do work that could be smaller, perhaps happier, and certainly quicker, offering me the perfect get-a-way from my own head space..
Therefore, during the month of April my plan is to sew one or two small story squares everyday using leftover scrapes of fabric from previous projects.. Thank you to Liza Lou for helping me discover a substantive space to find comfort during this difficult time.
2020
12 x 12 inches
Collaged Textile
April 2: Governor of Florida might have at least ten days ago considered putting this truly effective social distancing measure in place before finally making his decision today to mandate a “shelter in place” order. I’m just saying!
2020
12 x 12 inches
Collaged Textile
April 4: Okay, the only MINOR complaint I have is being “barb-wired” back into the kitchen, cooking for my young adult children who are now unexpectedly home from college. Most of my friends know cooking isn’t my favorite thing and the big joke around here has always been, “she didn’t make it but she made it happen!”. So as I stated … MINOR! Yet, there are many who don’t even having anything to cook, so perhaps you’ll consider giving to your local food depository for those who lack food sustainability at this time.
2020
12 x 9 inches
Collaged Textile
April 4: Nothing like a shared pandemic to remind us … it really is a small world that we all need to share. So, take care of those in your community and remember if one community fails, in reality we all have failed.
2020
17 x 13 inches
April 5: This morning I learned of the 21,000 out-of-town volunteer healthcare workers who are selflessly traveling to NYC to offer their services, leading me to consider what possible “ray of sunshine” might lay ahead, and this is what I came up with. I believe our collective humanity is presently guiding us towards a greater compassion for others, and when this passes (which it will) a stronger civic responsibility to aid those in need will have been prompted forward. So if you happen to be contemplating the same such “ray”, you may also be singing this same tune … even though we find ourselves apart, we are in fact coming together.
2020
13 x 9 inches
Collaged Textile
April 6: This Lichtenstein-like fabric has been one of my favorites that I’ve used in a number of projects, but never has one of the statements found in the fabric seemed more spot-on!
2020
17 x 12 inches
Collaged Textile
April 7: Has Coronavirus anxiety got you up at night? Give this old tried and true remedy a shot.
13 x 14 inches
collaged fabric
April 8: Thought I heard our Mayor way putting a stop to all liquor sales starting tomorrow at 9pm. It occurred to me a run to the liquor store would now be a real necessity. After all, if a person can’t find toilet paper, imagine what the run on liquor might look like! However, I then learned it was a ban on liquor sales AFTER 9am, which really didn’t matter much in my life since that is now my bedtime as I drink my first glass of wine at 4:55pm these days — bringing to mind a funny text I received: sheltering in place is feeling a lot like Vegas in my house. We’re losing money by the minute, cocktails are acceptable at any hour, and nobody knows what time it is!”.
2020
8 x 8 inches
Collaged Textile
April 9: Read in the paper this morning that everyone’s concerted efforts to drastically change our behaviors seem to be slowing the spread of the virus. However, epidemiologist want to remind us all that we should not interrupt this to mean all will be well in the next couple of weeks. So for now … emotionally draining as the mandate to shelter in place is, please keep being responsible and stay home if you are able.
2020
12 x 12 inches
Collaged Textile
April 10: I won’t lie … I can’t wait for my salon to reopen, and I know I’m not the only one. Turned my kitchen sink into a stylist wash bowl and while I successfully did get rid of the gray, I now have a halo of red for roots.
2020
16 x 14 inches
Collaged Textile
April 11: Having days lately when you feel as though you’ve hit a brick wall? If so, try climbing on top of it! Stretch, breath, and consider the possible positive outcome to this worldwide slow down. Perhaps the Aurora Borealis will shine more brilliantly this summer as pollution continues to dissipate.
8 x 11 inches
collaged fabric
April 12: Happy Easter to those who celebrate despite the need for social distancing.
2020
14 x 16 inches
Collaged Textile
April 13: … to know that even when the curve goes down or flattens, in order to get the economy back into full swing we will have to come up with a system that allows each of us to be as safe as possible. Could be a coding type of method where those who already have the antibodies are able to roam freely and those who haven’t yet gotten the virus need to be cautious. Hard to say what this roadmap will look like but it will take a concerted effort on everyone’s part.
GONG SHOW
9 x 9 inches
collaged fabric
April 14: Did everyone catch the White House’s infomercial last night (or rather a free political announcement on our tax dollars) on what a great job they’ve been doing instead of their daily press release discussing what’s happening with COVID19? Everyday with this guy it’s like watching a game show.
2020
15 x 12 inch
Collaged Textile
April 15: It just gets worse by the minute. As Trump pronounced today, “When somebody’s the President of the United States, the authority is total. And that’s the way it’s got to be. The President of the United States calls the shots.
NOT FOR SALE
April 16: Can’t believe in 2015 I had purchase this memorabilia Trump toilet paper just after the election. While cleaning yet another drawer during my Coronavirus shelter in place, I just discover it hidden away. What a perfectly appropriate moment to come upon it as I feel super luck that I now have this extra roll given the shortage of toilet paper!
Oh The Stories We’ll Tell
16 x 11 inches
collaged fabric
April 17: Been thinking a lot lately of the many books that will most certainly be written after we come out from under this pandemic. And while pondering … I came upon this amazing statement enfolded within a fabric filled with tiny text. It seems remarkably poignant and note-worthy of it’s own piece, “Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience, it is necessary for us to do the opposite, that is to commence with experience and from this to proceed to investigate reason”. Looking forward to reading many books on the subject of this pandemic in the not too distant future.
2020
8” x 8”
Collaged Fabric
April 18: Everyday I wake up with fear of what our President is going to do next. This morning I was shocked to hear of Trump’s tweets — Liberate Michigan, Liberate Minnesota, Liberate Virginia — an acutely dangerous defiance to not support Governor’s of those States for what they feel they must do to keep their population safe. All I can say is … LIBERATE US FROM YOU!
2020
9” circumference
Collaged Textile
April 19: Please don’t let Trump camouflage his cowboy role of inciting the protests in Michigan even further via his tweets. WORDS MATTER and doctors and nurses in Flint Michigan are now unable to get through the traffic in order to get to hospitals to do their jobs and help those in need.
2020
Collaged Textile
April 20: Every time I watch the news financial titans are in the Rose Garden receiving accolades for the fabulous job they are doing. But who’s really making the money.
2020
13” x 10”
Collaged Textile
April 21: Listening to NPR hour after hour these days, I pick up small tidbits of info along the way. Here was an interesting one … Even thought the air quality across the US has significantly improved, the amount of plastic waste has increased by ALOT! One big culprit … the plastic bag! Because even though many cities had outlawed their use, with Coronavirus it no longer is tenable to bring your own bags to the market. Seems our human condition continually teeters between things we should be thankful for and things we should not.
2020
12” x 12”
Collaged Textile
April 22: EARTH DAY … Our planet can easily do without us, but we cannot easily do without our planet.
2020
8” x 10”
Collaged Textile
April 23: While I am totally discouraged to learn the administration’s top government vaccine expert was pushed out for questioning Trump’s belief that Hydroxychloroquine is “the drug” to help with COVID19, I am deeply encouraged to know scientist and pharmaceutical companies around the world are all working together to find a solution for a vaccine.
2020
15” x 10”
Collaged Fabric
April 24: During a presentation at the White House briefing Thursday there was mention of how disinfectant can kill Coronavirus on surfaces and in the air, to which Trump said, “And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside … it would be interesting to check that”. I think he should try it first and let us know how that goes.
NOT FOR SALE
This photo — taken on the art island of Naoshima in Japan — seems either straight out of a scene from Star Treck when Captain Kirk says, “Beam me up Scotty”. or it’s the perfect visual depiction of Trump’s suggestion that we hit our bodies with tremendous ultraviolet light to rid ourselves of Coronavirus.
2020
Collaged Textile
April 25: Prisons have been releasing prisoners and not everyone has been happy about this. One women received a call that the man accused of a hit and run that left her daughter dead was released. Yet others have been pleased as many incarcerated individuals are unjustly sitting behind bars because the system is broken. Perhaps this will be the beginning of a much needed correction.
2020
NOT FINISHED AND NOT YET FOR SALE
April 26: This is going to be one of my bigger works, intended for my Stop The Noise Series. However, as I worked on it in the studio today, I realized that stopping the noise these days doesn’t really seem to be a problem as it is very very very quiet everywhere.
2020
15” x 13”
Collaged Textile
April 27: Today I heard a talk by Dr David Spiegel, head of psychiatry at Stanford, who said, "one of the best things a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nuture her relationships with her girlfriends”. Apparently our girlfriend time helps us to create more serotonin which helps combat depression and create a general sense of well-being. So … I seriously cannot wait for summer and the promise of hanging out at the beach with my gal pals … SIX FEET APART.
15 x 10 inches
collaged fabric
April 1: Usually this would be a day of pranks but not this year. Having just moved my studio to the basement of my house in Chicago, where there are no windows, I find it necessary to create my own “outdoors” from within. Looking for comfort and wishing safety for all during this difficult time.