So, I know Juneteeth has passed and I’m a little late on posting this, but the reality of committing any time to my own individual pursuits outside of raising 2 young kids without childcare in quarantine has become very apparent to me again. (It was the main reason for the pause in my artistic study). Better late than never though, right? The actual piece was made on Juneteenth, I’m just blogging about it now😉
When I first started to think about this idea of black squares throughout Wisconsin, I immediately thought of going through the small towns where there was no protesting/no visibility of the Black Lives Matter movement. But then I watched a video on social media of a guy in Bedstuy, Brooklyn at a cafe, getting angry at the employee for a Black Lives Matter sign hanging up, and I realized that the visibility needs to be everywhere. Not just in the small towns, but as a constant reminder in the cities, too.
So I went back to my favourite bridge, the Marsupial Bridge, and I did a quick weaving. The location, a bridge, the concept of warp & weft- I know- it’s all so didactic- but that’s what clear & concise speech is all about, right? You don’t hear people chanting 5pg essays while protesting- you hear short, impactful phrases. That’s what I hope these visual reminders are: that we need each other; you can’t have warp without weft; you can’t have the fabric of society without each other; that these protests are the bridge to meaningful conversations & actions.
graffitiweave 