Bulletin #5: Textiles, Feminism, & Resistance

September 9, 2020

Good morning,   Textiles took center stage this spring as DIY mask makers—myself included—filled labor and supply gaps our governments failed to do. This widespread mutual aid project that started as something essential to community survival inadvertently became a mass political statement. A political movement, in fact.    And that got me thinking. Within sewing and fabrics is a complex story of labor, protest, and liberation movements. Candace Hicks links all of this together in one of her stunning, handstitched books, Common Threads V. 113 (see below).  In it, she references Julia Bryan-Wilson’s book Fray: Art + Textile Politics, connecting embroidery with feminism and world-building. As I read in Fray, Bryan-Wilson further illuminates this relationship, writing: “Textiles have been central both to histories of capitalism and to organized resistance against its ruthless systems of production.”  I’ve collected some textile artist books for you below that are incredible examples of this. They spin tactile disruptions and resistance with words and images. All infused within the materiality of fabric pages.   I’d love to talk to you about these books. Reach out!   Jan

Candace Hicks, COMMON THREADS Candace Hicks: Common Threads 2019; 2020, two unique books, $2200 each   These handstitched titles that investigate threads of experience are a testament to the moments they were created. The cover of V. 125 is reflective of quarantine and Covid-19, while pieces from 2019 carry themes that weigh heavily on current moments, such as the aforementioned V. 113, finding threads surrounding feminine power, embroidery, and world-making. V. 125: https://booklyn.org/archive/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/2304 V. 113: https://booklyn.org/archive/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/668# 5 Year Plan: OTHER IMAGININGS5 Year Plan: Other Imaginings 2015, edition of 100, $1500Other Imaginings is a 40-page artist book, printed onto Gandhi Ashram khadi cloth, the same kind that Mohandas Gandhi wore. The book is 100% handmade, from thread spun in the home, to weaving on wooden hand-looms, each step contributes to the economy of their community. It was made in India as an international collaboration with Gandhi ashrams, designed and curated by Aaron Sinift in collaboration with Kahkashan Khan, Jitendra Kumar, and Mr. Vijay Kumar Handa.  https://booklyn.org/archive/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/1709# Voces de la Frontera: HISTORICAL BOX SETVoces de la Frontera: Historical Box Set Various artists, 2020, edition of 8, $3200   Special Client Price: $2,800   The Voces de la Frontera Historical Box Set features art from a variety of activist-artists and Milwaukee community members, used in picket signs on muslin and paper, posters, organizing flyers and other political and VDLF ephemera. A flash drive with images and video is also included in the box set. https://booklyn.org/archive/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/2293 New Titles Mary Tremonte: Exuberant Resilience 2019, edition of 25, $150.00   Mary Tremonte’s swatch book collects 17 swatches as well as five cardstock pages with writing about each pattern. The patterns explore intersecting themes of queer ecology, feminisms, individual autonomy, and collective ethos. https://shop.booklyn.org/product/mary-tremonte-exuberant-resilience/ Booklyn: Mask Fundraiser Bundle 2020, edition of 10, $280   During the New York State on PAUSE order, Booklyn staff sewed and distributed masks as mutual aid throughout NYC. Bundles of four with slogans of this moment are now available as a Booklyn fundraiser, which also include several mask patterns, two zines, and one handmade fabric pouch. https://shop.booklyn.org/product/booklyn-mask-fundraiser-bundle/ Coming Soon The Monument Quilt Box Set 2020, edition of 10, price TBA We are proud to partner with Monument Quilt, a project of Baltimore and Mexico City-based FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture. Survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence share their stories and affirmations on red cloth and created nearly 3,000 squares that were displayed 50 times in 33 cities in the US and Mexico. The Monument Quilt Box Set, each containing one quilt and project ephemera, is expected to be available by the end of September 2020. Reserve yours today!