Perspective Series

Please go to my Etsy Store to see details and more variations in the series. 

I have been reflecting on the varying perspectives coming up around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this summer and as openly discussed on various Facebook pages I frequent. These "perspective" work series are representations of my experience reading these opinions coming from both sides. Work signed, labeled and dated on back. 

Alice Walker on My Mind

I keep thinking of the words of Pulitzer-Prize-winning author, Alice Walker in an essay called, Sister Loss and will be drawing some sketches of my newest hero tomorrow.  I will post them in two days.  Just recently, she spoke at a cafe in DC, about the events going on in Gaza and I caught a piece of it on BookTV. I was lucky enough to find the words she shared that day online. 

I find people who speak out decisively, in the way I have seen Ms. Walker has, foment an enormous amount of courage in me.  At age 9,  I experienced a highly respected adult do things others would consider horrendous; illegal even. Since I believe deep in my heart in the fact that there are no accidents, I think this experience was meant to teach me about the true nature of authority and laws. This experience taught me a truly diamond lesson; to always question authority. It also set me on a plight to become a voice for people who lack support.  

Howard Zinn, an enormously brilliant historian, defines it best, "If patriotism were defined, not as blind obedience to government, not as submissive worship to flags and anthems, but rather as love of one's country, one's fellow citizens (all over the world), as loyalty to the principles of justice and democracy, then patriotism would require us to disobey our government, when it violated those principles." (Howard Zinn. Declarations of Independence (HarperCollins, 1990). Page 118. ). In other words, rules that do not follow the principles of justice and democracy and humanity need to be broken. 

Here is the quote from Ms. Walker that I keep thinking about....would love your favorite quotes on laws and justice....

"You have the right to live in joy on this planet

If we are harassed and tormented 

by those who do not care about us; 

those who trample our dreams of peace 

and 

would deny us tomorrow because we, 

having been to made to feel guilty and intimidated 

by a history of which we had no part, 

have not found the courage 

to say NO 

to them today."

New Earring Designs

           My 4 year-old son  and I made earrings today.  Nora, my one year old was nearby and we had to watch that she did not stick one in her mouth.  Lucky for us, she just ended up just grabbing the beads out of the box and piling them on the rug and back again.  After Luke learned that each side needed to be identical, he made one pair of dangly earrings and was so excited about his work.  He even worked with the pliers and made a loop, not a perfect one, but it was a loop.   Later we used my camera taking pictures to post them online.  My son was very insistent on taking his own shots of his merchandise with my $2400 DSLR camera.  I strapped it around his neck and  nervously stood beside him as he clicked away.  It was worth the nervousness just seeing him so energized.   

         I buy vintage necklaces and re-work them make new jewels. These earrings come in a handmade cardboard gift card where the decorative elements are 100% recycled materials.  You can purchase a pair for just $5.25 from my online store.

          15% of all store proceeds go to MercyCorps to help Gaza victims. 

Our Day at a Palestinian Rights Rally

My son holding a rally sign

59th street. The Rally ended here. This was taken almost at the end. 

          Our Family went to a Rally today in Times Square in NYC (42nd and 7th) protesting the Gaza Massacre.  Chris and I took our 2 kids with us, ages 4 and 1.5.  Parents out there with kids should know how much work it takes to get kids ready for even the smallest of outings, so this was a huge undertaking.  Of course, with getting ready and frantically trying to find parking we got there one and half hours late.  We were excited to see thousands of people mobilized to march. The powerful and emotion-filled chants were heard many blocks away.  Disappointingly, there were not many people there who were not of Middle Eastern dissent, no Latinos, no African Americans, nothing.  As we walked back to where we parked the car my son carried a huge tall sign he found abandoned nearby with the rally's message in advertised in bright colors.  He proudly walked displaying his sign as curious and confused walkers peeked at it's message. 

           As we walked back the 19 blocks back to our car we were hit with another world, the 5th Avenue shoppers, full of well dressed walkers and general families unfamiliar with the energetic rally just a few blocks away. New York is interesting that way.   My husband Chris who, unlike me, has attended hundreds of similar rallies felt no matter what the numbers are the media would never give it the attention it deserves. Similarly, I left the rally  feeling a sense of sadness at the inaudibility of these passionate cries for human rights for dignity and respect. 

Abstract Greeting Cards-ALL PROCEEDS GO TO HELP GAZA MASSACRE VICTIMS

           Help Gaza massacre victims. My son and I made these today using 100% recycled materials for the designs. My son's (he's 4) style is a bit more stacked than mine (see last picture). He was so excited about how cool his looked. Comes with fitting white envelope. You can purchase them for only $4.00 at my esty store.  Hurry, only a limited supply available. All proceeds except for shipping will go to MercyCorps. 

Protesting the Gaza Massacre- Images From Around the World

          Reading the rising casualties in Gaza online is incredibly depressing.  I have chosen to post pictures I found online of protests going on around the world.  Although most of the people around me act and go about their life as if this massacre were not happening, I need to feel connected to other human beings who care about this issue as much as my family does. 

Protests in Madrid 

(Asesinos means "murderers" in Spanish)

Protests in London

Protests in Kiev

Protests in Jordan

 

Protests in Lebanon

Protests in Syria

Reaction to school bombing-a digital collage

          I needed to visually see what I was feeling.  I created this digital collage today using photoshop and digital images found through google image search. This image is available for sale as an 8x10 print, signed and numbered though my etsy store,www. Miriamsart.etsy.com or www.MM72873.etsy.com. I also have some older politically charged digital collages for sale as well. All prints are limited edition.