Friday, June 29, 2012

This Is An Emergency Portfolio Print Process DAY TWO/ THREE


We called in some reinforcements to help finish printing mine and Emmy's editions.


Thanks to Aaron, Katie, Sissy, and Caitlin Cali for all your hard work.

{Thanks to Jori Ketten for the photo}

We covered the floor with our editions.


and here are a few bad shots of the last day of printing. Thank you to Katie O. for all her help.


The final product.


Here's a few shots from Meredith Stern of the full portfolio.


Piles and piles of collated editions.


They just got shipped off to NYC. They will be available for purchase through the JUST SEEDS site.

Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative is a decentralized network of 26 artists committed to making print and design work that reflects a radical social, environmental, and political stance.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

This Is An Emergency Portfolio Print Process DAY ONE


{My transparencies in process}

Meredith Stern invited me to be a part of her THIS IS AN EMERGENCY Gender Justice portfolio (more info below). In the spirit of sisterhood I invited Emmy Bright to collaborate with me. Before we started on our separate prints, Emmy and I spent some time talking about what we valued about feminism and what activism meant to us. I drew on a lot of texts I read in my early 20's and Emmy brought along some of her favorite dog-eared books, we found new meaning in the well worn words.

We were lucky enough to draw on the kindness of a fabulous Providence art organization to donate time and resources for the printing of the editions.
New Urban Arts
, a nationally recognized interdisciplinary arts studio for high school students and emerging artists in Providence, Rhode Island--- let me and Emmy Bright print in their printshop. Emmy and I carved out a few Fridays to print like mad before the high school participants showed up after school to claim their shop back. Here are some shots of the mayhem.


{Emmy Bright puts the finishing touches on her transparencies}


{the first layer of my print begins to take over the space}


Without a drying rack our editions of 125 each took up a lot of floor space.


And since I decided to start with a large blend I used a lot of ink as well.

Here is Meredith Stern's statement about the portfolio.
Click here for more info.

Reproductive Rights and gender justice are in a state of emergency right now. This past year we witnessed the near defunding of Planned Parenthood in Congress and from Komen, one of their largest private funders. In 2011 alone, a historic 80 new laws were passed which further prevent people from accessing abortions. Also this past year, over 200 transgendered people were murdered. And currently more than half the states in the US have passed amendments that prevent the recognition of same sex marriages.

In response to all the bullying, the legislative measures, and the horrifying statements filling the media, I feel that we need a collection of voices commenting on this situation through visual art. This project will bring together over a dozen voices from people most affected by these issues- women, queer identified, and transgendered artists.

Over a dozen artists have already confirmed to create a print for this project and an artist will be printing the covers. Artists who have confirmed are: several members of Justseeds Cooperative including: Melanie Cervantes, Thea Gahr, Bec Young, Favianna Rodriguez, Mary Tremonte, Molly Fair, and myself (Meredith Stern). Also participating are: Ian Cozzens of Secret Door Projects, Kristina Brown, Delia Kovac, Emmy Bright, Lois Harada, Olivia Horvath, Sam Merritt, and Katrina Avocado. Arley Rose and Morgan Calderini, of Ladyfingers Letterpress, will be designing and printing the portfolio covers. Each artist will be creating and hand printing their own image.