Thanks to the illustrious Dr Kevin Murray, I’m the guest editor for this quarter’s issue of Garland – The Street. I have also written an article about the collaborative making and adorning of the Er Pavilion for the Fremantle Biennale for the issue.
The best part of being guest editor? Connecting with the stories of this issue. Those from makers I suggested, those submitted, and/or those sourced by the real editor, Kevin. And there are some good ones, and a bunch that I resonate really heavily with.
(Who could have have guessed, given it’s an issue is about the street? I’ve only been making banners from street and ocean sourced debris for nearly a year now! And lets not get into Part B’s exhibition history… At least, not yet!)
The Protest Banner Lending Library: Democracy in the making by Aram Han Sifuentes showcases the beautiful fabric protest banners that Han Sifuentes makes themself, helps others to create, and lends to those who need to use them. Early on in her piece she talks of an inspiration being the many millions of residents of the US who don’t have voting rights. Yep, I felt that one hit deep inside me. While I still felt safe to protest when I lived in Seattle (the old ‘white female’ shelter I inhabit) I also know the frustration when your only vote that you can make is with your body. Lucky for me it was just a frustration, and not a feet-first mission to get out of danger increasingly common to these times.
There are a few more articles that I’ll highlight for now – obviously a shout out to jewellery colleagues and friends: Roseanne Bartley, with her article about her practices of Street jewellery; and a delightful quickie by my old pal in Pennsylvania, Sharon Massey, and her collaborator Sean Derry. Installing temporary art in a park with no permissions and no f*cks given? Love it!