So much has happened since I last typed a newsletter. I’ve been travelling and volunteering, figuring out what my life is, reshaping it, and working a whole bunch.

Any Change may bear seeds of benefit.
Seek them out.
Any Change may bear seeds of harm.
Beware.
God is infinitely malleable.
God is Change.

Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents

In June, I went to the MdW summit in Detroit for arts organizers across the midwest. I ran into my mentor/long-time friend Michael, danced in an underground warehouse, and met many curious and open-minded people. I felt like for the first time since moving to Chicago, I had found my arts community.

One big thing we discussed at the conference was NAAO, the National Association of Arts Organizations, which ran from 1982 - early 2000’s. This was a network designed to legally fight and protect artists across the United States and became crucial during the culture wars. Many artists were labelled as “terrorists” by the U.S. government for making work that was controvercial. NAAO was crucial during this time, legally fighting to protect many of these artists. Sadly we see the same thing happening with the Prarieland Case today. The hard thing is that nobody wants facism, but by the United States accusing innocent people for speaking up, the US is creating it.

What made the conference so special was that I saw a blueprint of how this network could be made. The gist is that every state has an arts non-profit that could be its “representative”, connecting smaller arts spaces, artists, or other non-profits to one another state-wide, and in turn strengthening our artist networks regionally and across the US.

This experience grew a deep desire to create a network to unite and protect artists across the United States, especially in crucial regions like the south. Maybe there will be a day where I go back to the south. Maybe there are others interested in starting this work, too?

🌱

While going on this trip, I also realized your life can be ANYTHING. I’ve been thinking more about marriage, a house, children, etc and find myself succumbing to non-stick skillets and a credit card that only puts my cash back into a retirement fund…. What have I become?…. I realized it’s okay to want what society wants, but you can make it fully your own.

Hamtramck Disneyland was a home art installation made from 1992 - 1999 by Dmytro Szylak, a Ukrainian war veteran who immigrated to the US and worked for General Motors for 30 years.

Popps Packing has a very interesting origin story - it started as a meat packing warehouse, just a tall concrete box with packages that said “Popps Packing”. Faina Lerman and Graem Whyte built out studios, bedrooms, a kitchen, custom-welded doors, converted the back into a giant woodshop, and turned it into the residency that it is today.

Ceramics School is also just a beautiful model/ space. Henry and Virginia were good friends with Faina and Graem, who started Popps Packing, they moved to Detroit and bought a house, launched a pilot ceramics program and slowly it grew to become the ceramics school. Its an arts residency and local community studio, made from the home they originally bought. My favorite part was seeing the kilns they had built and hearing about their “bring your own ceramic lamp” show of 50 people in their backyard.

Being in a solid relationship has taught me that its okay to have the marriage, the house, and the kids. In the process, you can make those things fully unique to your lifestyle and your community. Life can be ANYTHING!

✨

Anyways, I think that’s all I’ll write. I accidentally made myself a cup of herbal tea instead of the green kind…. Things are happening. Stay tuned for my art exhibition at Schoolhouse in mid- September :)

Loads of love,

Christina