“Growing Peace Down By The River” is a tribute to my family members who migrated to escape religious persecution so they could build peaceful lives for their children. Strong matriarchs have governed our family throughout several generations and this piece honors these feminists who have shaped my life.

Created in December of 2013. Collage #310. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky. 22.5” x 30.”

“Another Migration For Wary Wanderers”  is a tribute to my family members who migrated to escape religious persecution so they could build peaceful lives for their children. Strong matriarchs have governed our family throughout several generations and this piece honors these feminists who have shaped my life.

Created in December of 2013. Collage #309. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, coffee and ink staining, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky.22.5” x 30.”

“Stating The Obvious” is a tribute to the writing done by bell hooks in her book “Feminism is for Everybody.” Her definition of feminism as “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” remains the most useful framework for working towards gender equality.

Created in January of 2014. Collage #316. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky. 22.5” x 30.”

 “Through The Looking Glass Ceiling” explores the trope of the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl.” This film character is typically white, quirky, traditionally feminine, and serves to assist a male character (also typically white) in his quest to discover happiness and success. Much like Alice in Wonderland, she looks at the world with whimsy and naiveté. A glass ceiling hovers darkly above her as she never achieves her own enlightenment or success. This ceiling also prevents her from being the main protagonist and relegates her to being a supporting role. Instead she is presented as a simplistic character solely needing validation through her relationship with the male character. Her trajectory is mitigated by the male protagonist’s desire and journey.

Created in January of 2014. Collage #315. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky.. 22.5” x 30.”

“Eve Was From Africa” serves as a counter narrative to an extreme racist discourse aiming to whitewash the ethnicity and cultural diversity of iconic legendary figures. Jesus was a Galilean Jew –defined by contemporary land boundaries, he would be described as Middle Eastern. Saint Nicolas, the man who inspired the Santa Claus myth, was a 4^th Century Greek Bishop of Myra (which is part of modern day Turkey). Geneticists have determined that all living modern humans can be traced back to two people who lived between 100,000 – 200,000 years ago on the continent of Africa. Our original mother, referred to as “Mitochondrial Eve,” was what we would today describe as a woman of color. While evidence demonstrates all of these people had dark skin, these figures are currently portrayed in the mainstream culture as light skinned, thus promoting white supremacy. This demonstrates purposeful and institutional racism within the religious and secular realms of our society. Such choices display a purposeful ignorance of the reality that all humans belong to one singular human race, as well as a diminishment of the important diverse cultural heritage of the myths and legends we find solace in. In this piece flora and fauna surround “Eve” as she sews the fabric of a quilt meant to represent the beautiful diversity of our cultural ancestry.

Created in January 2014. Collage #314. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, coffee and ink staining, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky. 22.5” x 30.”

“The Four Elements Converging at the Soul of the Universe.” This collage represents an other- worldly creature or God who signifies creation. This gender- neutral creature represents the forces that bind all of us together, and the combining of the four main elements which we find useful in life on earth.

Created in December of 2013. Collage #307. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, coffee and ink staining, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky. 22.5” x 30.”

 “Tireless Optimism In The Face Of Endless Revision” reflects the process of an endless struggle for equality. With each gain made with gender roles shifting, inequality persists. We face a never- ending set of obstacles through systematic gender oppression which remain largely unchallenged within the framework of capitalism. There is still massive structural and institutional barriers which disproportionately negatively affect women, queer people, and people of color. Survival requires us to constantly balance our anger and frustration while finding space for hope and optimism. It’s a continued struggle requiring organizing and movement building. Efforts to simply reform specific aspects of our society have been unsuccessful at shifting fundamental power imbalances that exist along intersections of class, race, and gender lines. Radical feminism calls for restructuring our society so that it can become fundamentally anti-sexist.

Created December of 2013. Collage #308. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, coffee and ink staining, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky. 22.5” x 30.”

“Angry Women In Forever Deep Waters” gives a nod to all the unseen and unpaid labor women have done historically in the service of their families and society at large. Low income folks engaged in domestic work continue to be dominated and exploited – sometimes by upper class women who have been unable to connect to women outside of their own economic class. This image also depicts the incredible mask we often wear to hide our anger and frustration while we do the work necessary to survive and/or support our families.

Created in December of 2013. Collage #311. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, coffee and ink staining, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky. 22.5” x 30.”

 

This collage depicts an other-worldly creature or God who signifies the tension between creation and ruin. It’s aura reflects chaos and control. This gender- neutral creature represents the forces that bind all of us and express the tensions of opposing forces and the space in between.

Created in December of 2013. Collage #312. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, coffee and ink staining, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky.

22.5” x 30.”

“A Woman’s Place” is a double entendre. It references the old adage “a woman’s place is in the home.” It also refers to the need for a woman (and everyone) to have a place of her/their own where one can be free of judgment. Many feminists have created various types of gathering spaces, often termed “safe” (or safer) spaces, where women, queer, and/or transgender people can find community and a physical space where we can be ourselves without being subjected to a heterosexual male gaze. This piece is about trying to find a space where we can navigate our inner desires that may at times conflict and/or align with society expectations of our behavior.

Created in January of 2014. Collage #313. Collage of linoleum block prints, woodblock prints, spray paint, coffee and ink staining, and handwritten history notes from my 103 year old cousin Fannie Simonowsky. 22.5” x 30.”