0:00:02.020,0:00:09.000 >> Hrag: I want to welcome everyone to this session. My name is Hrag Vartanian. I am the moderator. I am also the editor-in-chief 0:00:09.000,0:00:16.200 and cofounder of Hyperallergic. Thank you for coming. This session is called “Craft 0:00:16.209,0:00:22.530 for Care and Well Being”. I will be joined by three guests shortly. But first I wanted 0:00:22.530,0:00:29.540 to give you a sense of this series. The first of three panels that will take place in the 0:00:29.540,0:00:35.730 next month. I will be moderating those. And we think this will be a great opportunity 0:00:35.730,0:00:41.460 for people to start thinking about design at this particular time in this particular 0:00:41.460,0:00:49.079 crisis. And what it means for craft thinking and how, how we can use it to respond to COVID-19 0:00:49.079,0:00:52.930 and the coronavirus. Also particularly there's emphasis today. 0:00:52.930,0:01:00.010 We'll talk about how craft, how we can use it to solve social issues or at least grapple 0:01:00.010,0:01:05.040 with them in a serious way. We'll be joined shortly. But I just wanted 0:01:05.040,0:01:12.429 to welcome everybody. And I'm going to ask Scott to join us to introduce 0:01:12.429,0:01:16.290 some sponsors and then we'll continue with that. Welcome. 0:01:16.290,0:01:21.549 >> Scott: Thanks. This is wonderful. Happy Friday, everybody. We made it to the end of 0:01:21.549,0:01:25.369 the week, yet another week. I appreciate everybody's patience as we work 0:01:25.369,0:01:29.789 ourselves out of this isolation. Been a great opportunity. 0:01:29.789,0:01:34.060 I'm Scott Pollock, Director of Engagement and Public Programs at the American Craft 0:01:34.060,0:01:41.890 Council. Fortunate to have everybody on the line. Thankful, Hrag, for all the work that 0:01:41.890,0:01:48.789 we have done with the collaborators on this project. 3- part series alongside Hyperallergic 0:01:48.789,0:01:53.759 and what you are all up to. Thank you. We have the Smithsonian Center for Folklife 0:01:53.759,0:01:59.609 and Cultural Heritage feeding us incredible content and speaker ideas as well as the Critical 0:01:59.609,0:02:03.859 Craft Forum. And the Socially Engaged Craft Collective. 0:02:03.859,0:02:08.239 Shout out to our partners as we have been able to pull these conversations together. 0:02:08.239,0:02:15.140 I want to acknowledge the fun side of meeting on Friday afternoon. It feels like a virtual 0:02:15.140,0:02:22.100 happy hour. We brought in really great partners, Shoots and Roots Bitters team, they provide 0:02:22.100,0:02:28.840 us with a cocktail each week here, that is sort of supporting and uplifting this theme. 0:02:28.840,0:02:35.910 A way to add into this heavy moment that we're in right now. Thank you, Shoots and Roots 0:02:35.910,0:02:42.630 Bitters for this. I think we got strawberry shrub this week. I'm happy to participate 0:02:42.630,0:02:45.350 in that. Without further ado, we are going to open 0:02:45.350,0:02:51.400 up each session by giving space to collaborating partners who helped us pull this together. 0:02:51.400,0:02:57.431 I want to welcome Anna Metcalfe, founding member of the Social Engaged Craft Collective, 0:02:57.431,0:03:01.270 to introduce that team and the work that they are doing. 0:03:01.270,0:03:07.960 Anna, thanks so much. >> Anna: Thank you, Scott. Thank you so much 0:03:07.960,0:03:14.940 for inviting the Socially Engaged Craft Collective to join you all today. 0:03:14.940,0:03:18.700 And for bringing all of these amazing partners and people together. 0:03:18.700,0:03:26.770 I'm going to screen share our collective’s website really quickly. 0:03:26.770,0:03:36.220 I'm going to go down to the bottom. This is Socially Engaged Craft Collectives website. 0:03:36.220,0:03:41.660 And I'm pulling it down to the bottom, there's really great images of some of the work that 0:03:41.660,0:03:45.800 we've been doing recently. So, I'm a member of the Socially Engaged Craft 0:03:45.800,0:03:55.900 Collective. That might seem like a mouthful, SACC broad range of socially engaged projects 0:03:55.900,0:04:02.810 rooted in the history of craft objects and materials. We see engagement and inclusion 0:04:02.810,0:04:11.900 as being truly endemic to craft practices. Goals are to collect with each other and common 0:04:11.900,0:04:17.530 values and expose other educators to collaborative and the socially engaged aspects of craft. 0:04:17.530,0:04:27.870 As a collective we're really honored to be here today and also to be a part of this confluence 0:04:27.870,0:04:33.590 of ideas and values and practices. I really quickly want to introduce you to 0:04:33.590,0:04:40.960 one of the ways our collective responded to the pandemic. We essentially created and hosted 0:04:40.960,0:04:46.699 opportunities for engagement through our own Zoom channel. 0:04:46.699,0:04:53.000 That's what you are seeing on the screen right now, which is a couple of our past conversations. 0:04:53.000,0:04:59.760 We recognize while we're socially distant, we also really crave engagement. 0:04:59.760,0:05:07.340 So we created a Virtual Art Center. For about six weeks now we hosted Zoom meet ups that 0:05:07.340,0:05:13.849 connected to each other and offer ideas, and conversations to anyone who is interested 0:05:13.849,0:05:18.479 in joining. The themes we are primarily focused on are 0:05:18.479,0:05:27.560 teaching, talking, and playing -- although, we're interested in all versions of that. 0:05:27.560,0:05:31.590 And many of our collective members hosted these conversations but we're also welcoming 0:05:31.590,0:05:33.930 submissions from all corners of the craft world. 0:05:33.930,0:05:40.009 If any of you are participants, and are interested in the topic and want to talk, we're here 0:05:40.220,0:05:45.320 for you. As a part of the Visual Art Center, so I'm 0:05:45.320,0:05:51.350 just going up to May 20th. Wednesday, May 20th. 0:05:51.350,0:05:58.900 The SECC will host three public dialogues following the forum conversations. These recap 0:05:58.919,0:06:04.970 dialogues are open to the public and allow continued conversations in moderated format. 0:06:04.970,0:06:10.330 They will be open conversations. So, please join us to unpack and elaborate 0:06:10.330,0:06:21.300 on any ideas we are inspiring to use. We will post the Zoom link in the chat as well as 0:06:21.300,0:06:30.599 the website to see more of the socially engaged practical collectives Virtual Art Center. 0:06:30.599,0:06:37.509 With that I am going to pass it back to Hrag. Thank you so much. 0:06:37.509,0:06:42.311 >> Hrag: Thank you. As you can tell from our schedule, we're going to be tackling three 0:06:42.311,0:06:46.289 different topics. At the beginning of each, we're going to show 0:06:46.289,0:06:53.319 a short video followed by the speaker who will do a short presentation as well as discuss 0:06:53.319,0:07:00.021 a little bit of their work. Our first short film, part of the [Not] In 0:07:00.360,0:07:10.600 Isolation Film Project,features -- I’m sorry I just have to pull this up for a second -- Jordan 0:07:10.600,0:07:13.700 Carey of Loquat Design of Portland, Maine, and was produced in collaboration with 0:07:13.700,0:07:24.000 Indigo Arts Alliance, which is an organization committed to ensuring the voices of black and brown artists are immune from erasure during this pandemic. 0:07:24.000,0:07:32.000 So we're going to show that, and then we'll be followed shortly after by Stephanie Syjuco who will be joining us to talk about her work. 0:10:17.000,0:10:23.000 >> Hrag: Great. Thank you so much. So, Stephanie, you have the floor. 0:10:23.000,0:10:28.671 >> Stephanie: Thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here and to discuss recent 0:10:28.671,0:10:35.480 developments in what craft artists and community is doing in response to COVID-19. 0:10:35.480,0:10:41.550 What I decided to do is put together a couple images that I'm going to talk through. 0:10:41.550,0:10:52.940 And share some of the recent developments in my studio. I'm a fine artist and educator. 0:10:52.940,0:10:59.500 Since the pandemic hit unfortunately I've been shut out of my art studio. 0:10:59.500,0:11:06.470 The way I pivoted was to make masks full time. So for the past eight weeks I sat upon the 0:11:06.470,0:11:14.290 idea of joining a lot of different makers throughout the world now in terms of how to 0:11:14.290,0:11:21.250 respond and produce things from my home. What I'm showing in the largest image is a 0:11:21.250,0:11:27.790 series of masks. I made over about 800 already. What they are made out of is a green screen 0:11:27.790,0:11:34.080 fabric, actually this is the fabric I use for my art Installations. Little bit of background 0:11:34.080,0:11:40.260 too about the kind of work that I do. There is a political bent to it. In 2017 I 0:11:40.260,0:11:47.130 was working on community and collaborative protests banner making workshops. From there, 0:11:47.130,0:11:54.040 the experience of joining forces with other people to create productive things in response 0:11:54.040,0:11:59.500 to both politics and social issues is something I've actually kind of absorbed in terms of 0:11:59.500,0:12:05.070 my interests and art making. Also, as a fine artist who does go into pretty 0:12:05.070,0:12:12.890 intense craft processes including textiles and sewing, my own artwork lent itself to 0:12:12.890,0:12:16.810 have a pretty strong knowledge base with my hands. 0:12:16.810,0:12:24.600 These are examples of other art works I've done. This is from 2018 at the Smithsonian, 0:12:24.600,0:12:29.970 literally the same fabric I've been using to make the masks. 0:12:29.970,0:12:35.600 Another thing that I wanted to talk about too, when the need for masks really came up 0:12:35.600,0:12:42.630 very, very quickly, it was the online craft community that stepped up to respond and there 0:12:42.630,0:12:48.580 were a lot of exchanges online about what types and designs to make, and what styles 0:12:48.580,0:12:53.750 were the best to produce. Also was the most expedient, amazing to see 0:12:53.750,0:12:59.250 the kind of exchange of information. Along with prototyping with others, regarding 0:12:59.250,0:13:05.850 different methods and varieties to make, I settled on a couple versions that I think 0:13:05.850,0:13:10.790 have been quite useful. So, over the course of the last eight weeks 0:13:10.790,0:13:16.790 -- this is a shot of my tiny home office desk, I don't have access to my art studio -- I 0:13:16.790,0:13:21.990 have made over 800 masks. They have all been sent out and donated to 0:13:21.990,0:13:28.250 nonprofit organizations, shelters, food banks, and to front line workers who can't otherwise 0:13:28.250,0:13:33.070 afford it. I make them purely for donation, that's because 0:13:33.070,0:13:40.340 I have, I actually feel like I am economically secure and so I'm going to use this time to 0:13:40.340,0:13:44.330 then assist others who aren't. It's been interesting to see these masks out 0:13:44.330,0:13:52.490 in the world by workers and colleagues, and it turns out that a green screen mask also 0:13:52.490,0:13:57.820 becomes a digital green screen on Zoom, which is kind of interesting. 0:13:57.820,0:14:04.200 I ran out of the green screen fabric, I'm using my fabric stash from years of accumulated 0:14:04.200,0:14:10.770 craft works and art works. Yeah, that's just a general framework. I'd 0:14:10.770,0:14:14.770 love to talk to Hrag about if there's any questions or things we can discuss. 0:14:14.770,0:14:19.910 >> Hrag: Absolutely. Thank you so much, Stephanie. I'd love to hear a little bit about, first 0:14:19.910,0:14:26.910 of all the decision to use green screen at first, what was your thinking there? Did you 0:14:26.910,0:14:30.790 secretly hope people would start playing with it visually? 0:14:30.790,0:14:38.080 >> Stephanie: It was literally because that was the massive amount of material I had. 0:14:38.080,0:14:44.730 So, the initial idea was that this was going to be artwork, it would be material for an 0:14:44.730,0:14:50.140 art Installation that had been planned months in advance. Without that opportunity, it just 0:14:50.140,0:14:56.250 made perfect sense, there it was. What is fascinating is there's a huge run 0:14:56.250,0:15:02.000 on cotton fabric, on elastic, on all the basic materials that we sort of took for granted 0:15:02.000,0:15:06.850 in the very beginning. >> Hrag: Absolutely, I talked to a number 0:15:06.850,0:15:14.670 of people who said elastics disappeared. So many sizes that have just, there is no possibility. 0:15:14.670,0:15:20.050 Now, what would you, what was the biggest sort of surprise in terms of what you discovered 0:15:20.050,0:15:24.760 creating this project? You created and distributed 800 masks What 0:15:24.760,0:15:30.550 did you wish you knew before you started that would have helped you maybe do this a little 0:15:30.550,0:15:34.040 bit more efficiently, or I don't know how you want to characterize that. 0:15:34.040,0:15:41.040 >> Stephanie: Well in the very beginning, the entire production system of mask making 0:15:41.040,0:15:46.650 throughout the country, it was not ready. It wasn't ready for the demand. The facilities 0:15:46.650,0:15:52.130 and the labor pool wasn't set up to do so. Volunteers were basically being called up 0:15:52.130,0:15:57.180 to meet this demand. I think even though the situation is still 0:15:57.180,0:16:03.360 dire, and masks are still very much needed, it felt desperate in the beginning. 0:16:03.360,0:16:09.480 So, with all the communication happening across makers to get the right types of prototypes 0:16:09.480,0:16:16.930 out into the world. It felt collaborative. Also felt like you know, an emergency response 0:16:16.930,0:16:21.029 that I don't think any of us had collectively dealt with. 0:16:21.029,0:16:25.490 >> Hrag: Right. We're getting interesting comments. It seems a lot of people have been 0:16:25.490,0:16:29.880 involved in making masks themselves. Someone made the suggestion that shoe laces work great 0:16:29.880,0:16:34.680 too. That's a good suggestion for those that want to go with that. Someone also asked about 0:16:34.680,0:16:44.720 the fiber content of green screen fabric. >> Stephanie: 100% cotton, I make sure, with 0:16:44.720,0:16:50.270 basic research that I've been able to do -- that’s the thing, too, there's conflicting sort of 0:16:50.270,0:16:56.530 reports on ways of making them and what is the best kind of design. So, it's very, I 0:16:56.530,0:17:04.079 don't want to say subjective, many models out there work with different effects, really. 0:17:04.079,0:17:09.260 >> Hrag: Have you felt this sort of craft community, really you mentioned how so many 0:17:09.260,0:17:14.530 people, have you felt comradery around this? Have you felt it in terms of you creating 0:17:14.530,0:17:20.830 it yourself, and other people who have been making it, has that really come out? 0:17:20.830,0:17:27.059 >> Stephanie: There's definitely a really robust online exchange in community, a ton 0:17:27.059,0:17:34.360 of Facebook groups, a lot of like, large groups and small ones What has been interesting to 0:17:34.360,0:17:42.270 process, there seems to be a divide between this notion of free or donated labor versus 0:17:42.270,0:17:47.840 people needing to charge, or be compensated, for the masks they’re making. 0:17:47.840,0:17:53.550 I am fully behind the idea that labor needs to be compensated. The fact that we are having 0:17:53.550,0:18:00.640 to muster and volunteer our efforts, materials, and time to meet the needs of an entire country 0:18:00.640,0:18:07.370 that has been disinvested in terms of the federal government's focus on healthcare. 0:18:07.370,0:18:14.140 I don't think, as much as I'm heartened by the community sort of engagement of this problem, 0:18:14.140,0:18:20.490 I feel like it was an avoidable problem. I wish more could be discussed in terms of the 0:18:20.490,0:18:24.780 politics of why crafts people have been asked to step in for free. 0:18:24.780,0:18:30.040 >> Hrag: Right, that is such a great point. I think particularly a lot of people are concerned 0:18:30.040,0:18:34.010 about that because people need to sustain their lives, of course. 0:18:34.010,0:18:39.730 I wanted to say how really attractive the marks you are making are. I appreciate that. 0:18:39.730,0:18:45.880 There's so many different crafts people and artists creating these types of things. I 0:18:45.880,0:18:50.040 want to say kudos for that. Is there something you wish you could make, 0:18:50.040,0:18:55.100 or some part of this project you felt was maybe outside of your skill set, that ideally 0:18:55.100,0:18:58.660 you would love to partner with someone in order to achieve? 0:18:58.660,0:19:03.630 >> Stephanie: I was pretty lucky in the sense that a couple weeks ago I was approached by 0:19:03.630,0:19:11.330 a small scale, small artist-run production business called Open Editions in San Francisco. 0:19:11.330,0:19:18.000 They approached me to use some of my pattern designs to print on masks they could produce 0:19:18.000,0:19:24.310 in volume and sell to the public. In exchange for every mask they would sell they would 0:19:24.310,0:19:30.010 be able to donate one to a nonprofit organization that couldn't otherwise afford it. 0:19:30.010,0:19:41.140 So they do 400 masks to sell, and donate, they shift in cycles. With that type of scale 0:19:41.140,0:19:47.100 has affected the ability for more people to get these masks and not rely on a volunteer 0:19:47.100,0:19:51.430 system. Another good thing is this company, Open Editions, 0:19:51.430,0:19:57.880 is employing out of work immigrant women who would ordinarily work in a sewing factory 0:19:57.880,0:20:03.500 and whose jobs recently have been shuttered because of the shelter in place order. 0:20:03.500,0:20:12.190 So, this cycle of compensation, as well as donation and productivity. Nice to think holistically 0:20:12.190,0:20:17.790 how these support systems support everyone, and not just take from people. 0:20:17.790,0:20:22.900 >> Hrag: Absolutely. We have a question from Kelly who is asking if you anticipate offering 0:20:22.900,0:20:25.550 your masks for sale to the public at some point? 0:20:25.550,0:20:31.250 >> Stephanie: Yeah, I have been asked that. Honestly, because I think I'd like to focus 0:20:31.250,0:20:38.220 all my time to, you know, create the masks for donation, someone can purchase my “pattern 0:20:38.220,0:20:46.020 design” masks from Open Editions. I did have a fundraiser in which I sold pairs of 0:20:46.020,0:20:51.090 them -- very, very briefly -- I was able to raise about three-thousand dollars to help 0:20:51.090,0:20:56.269 a nonprofit organization in the Philippines supply protective gear. 0:20:56.269,0:21:01.540 >> Hrag: Fantastic. Could you give advice for people who may be thinking about doing 0:21:01.540,0:21:06.140 this, or making masks themselves, in terms of distributing. What were the most useful 0:21:06.140,0:21:10.929 ways? Were hospitals receptive? Were there other ways to make sure they were getting 0:21:10.929,0:21:14.470 to the right people? >> Stephanie: That's a really good question. 0:21:14.470,0:21:19.690 Right now the demand is still really high. In the very beginning hospital workers were 0:21:19.690,0:21:27.250 not requesting homemade fabric masks. They were technically not proper protective gear. 0:21:27.250,0:21:33.940 Now things have shifted more and I would suggest you can start very local. Like, you can literally 0:21:33.940,0:21:40.000 just outfit your neighbors, your local community, your nonprofit organizations, food banks, 0:21:40.000,0:21:44.760 etc. You can scale it up. There's also national 0:21:44.760,0:21:53.140 calls for masks, Navajo Nation has needed masks. I think there's so many outlets right 0:21:53.140,0:22:00.870 now. So much need that you will not, if you are interested in making masks, there is, 0:22:00.870,0:22:11.270 it is a broad field. >> Hrag: It's interesting how so many of these 0:22:11.270,0:22:16.780 networks formed, and often during these times of crisis they form and then they sort of 0:22:16.780,0:22:23.630 like, they continue past the crisis. I'm wondering if there's any signs on how this is impacting 0:22:23.630,0:22:29.040 your own practice, and what you do? Is this something you hope maybe to do again in the 0:22:29.040,0:22:33.780 future or post pandemic? >> Stephanie: That's a great question. I mean, 0:22:33.780,0:22:39.020 coming into this, there was a large portion of my professional artistic life involved 0:22:39.020,0:22:50.460 in projects. I feel coming into it I did have a propensity to create connections and networks, 0:22:50.460,0:22:55.100 but I think what's more surprising now is what’s happening on a much more grassroots 0:22:55.100,0:22:59.960 level and thinking, too, about that aid and support. 0:22:59.960,0:23:10.280 And community isn't just something that exists online, but is your literal neighbor next 0:23:10.280,0:23:17.780 door, the folks that come in and out of your life, delivery people, this network of not 0:23:17.780,0:23:23.780 just say friends or people in a like-minded space, but that us as a society, everybody 0:23:23.780,0:23:33.850 who is in it, must be taken care of. I think, you know, it's just risen to the 0:23:33.850,0:23:38.580 front. >> Hrag: I think a number of the questions 0:23:38.580,0:23:41.750 that we've also received are something I've been thinking about, which is how gendered 0:23:41.750,0:23:47.980 this has become. I don't think I know any male mask makers, I know they exist and are 0:23:47.980,0:23:54.910 there, but a majority certainly have been women. What do you think about that? 0:23:54.910,0:24:00.160 Particularly because, at the same time of course this is important, the public good, 0:24:00.160,0:24:05.320 but there is this kind of divide that still exists, even something as simple as mask making. 0:24:05.320,0:24:09.410 Any thoughts? >> Stephanie: Yeah, big thoughts. It is, if 0:24:09.410,0:24:16.580 you look, you are right, the majority of the people I seem to encounter, or observe, in 0:24:16.580,0:24:24.390 this process are female identified. There are definitely male identified artists and 0:24:24.390,0:24:34.580 craft people involved. What's been surprising is that maybe it's skill sets, right. So textile 0:24:34.580,0:24:41.230 work and sewing is traditionally seen as a domestic, or even female, craft endeavor. 0:24:41.230,0:24:50.990 But, the notion, too, that female labor should be less compensated, or is worthy of being 0:24:50.990,0:24:57.870 volunteered as opposed to compensated, that is incredibly gendered also. I have a feeling 0:24:57.870,0:25:08.160 if this was another field in which engineering or some other form, not textiles related, 0:25:08.160,0:25:16.170 was spotlighted, that it would not be expected that this is just something that can be given 0:25:16.170,0:25:21.820 away. >> Hrag: Right, if it was ventilator makers, 0:25:21.820,0:25:28.370 you assume there would be more men. A number of people in the comments mentioned certainly 0:25:28.370,0:25:34.429 there are men making masks. We don't want to say there aren't. I think we are sort of 0:25:34.429,0:25:41.750 mentioning that there seems to be certainly more women creating these, or at least from 0:25:41.750,0:25:45.700 what we've been seeing. So thank you so much, Stephanie, I think that was really great. 0:25:45.700,0:25:55.440 And I think this was an example of the arts community really shining, and being able to 0:25:55.440,0:25:59.370 bring their skills to the table to help everyone. So, thank you so much, Stephanie. 0:25:59.370,0:26:04.799 >> Stephanie: Thank you, Hrag. It's been great. >> Hrag: We're going to continue on to our 0:26:04.799,0:26:12.420 next video and speaker. Speaker is Karen Hampton, who will start shortly after the video. And 0:26:12.420,0:26:18.290 she will be speaking specifically about how we can use craft to sort of identify and also 0:26:18.290,0:26:24.290 just grapple with social issues. So, the video we're going to watch first is about Kei and 0:26:24.290,0:26:32.040 Molly Textiles, an organization out of New Mexico, and social enterprise business that's 0:26:32.040,0:26:37.350 located near the international district of Albuquerque committed to creating good jobs 0:26:37.350,0:26:41.000 for immigrants and refugees in their community. So let's start. 0:31:10.000,0:31:18.000 >> Hrag: Hi. Okay. Apologies, seemed to be little bit of a glitch. One thing I really 0:31:18.000,0:31:23.000 enjoyed about that video particularly, is the fact that now so many of these stories 0:31:23.000,0:31:29.000 about small businesses, including us at Hyperallergic, are about grappling with issues like COVID-19, 0:31:29.000,0:31:37.500 I really appreciate small businesses being open about what they are doing with that. 0:31:37.500,0:31:44.000 So, without further ado I would like to invite Karen Hampton, an accomplished and very talented 0:31:44.000,0:31:47.000 weaver and fiber artist to present some of her work. 0:31:48.000,0:32:00.000 >> Karen: Hello. Am I, hello? >> Hrag: You are on, Karen. 0:32:00.000,0:32:10.000 >> Karen: I'm just not seeing myself yet. Hello. I am a mixed media fiber artist. And 0:32:10.000,0:32:20.000 I produce my work from the, from the perspective that is, to be alive is a political act. 0:32:20.000,0:32:30.000 And I'm sorry, I can't see, I can't [ technical difficulties ] 0:32:42.000,0:32:47.500 >> We can see you and your sound is coming through. 0:32:47.500,0:32:55.000 >> Karen: I'll just go with. That I produce my work from the perspective that to be alive 0:32:55.000,0:33:08.000 is a political act. My artwork is merger of my politics with my 0:33:08.000,0:33:17.000 art. I'm going to share my screen, hopefully, with 0:33:17.000,0:33:27.000 you. Will start talking about some work. Can you see my screen? 0:33:27.000,0:33:33.000 >> Yes, we can. >> Karen: Okay. Okay. So, this piece is troubled 0:33:33.000,0:33:43.000 times. This was a piece that I made, I made right after the last presidential election. 0:33:43.000,0:33:56.000 The piece was inspired by a residency that I did in 2014 in Northern Nevada. 0:33:56.000,0:34:09.000 During that time, I visited one of the largest sites, a petroglyph site with rock drawings 0:34:09.000,0:34:14.000 that date back to 10 and 12 thousand years ago. 0:34:14.000,0:34:23.000 And when I was there, I kept thinking about the ancients and what, who were their Gods? 0:34:23.000,0:34:31.000 What were their beliefs at that point? And I went back and I visited that again later 0:34:31.000,0:34:40.000 after the election. hen I and many other people were feeling so disillusioned, I went back 0:34:40.000,0:34:47.000 to that place and I started thinking about, okay, what, what would the ancients have to 0:34:47.000,0:34:55.000 say? Because we're drinking the same water that they had. It's a little more polluted. 0:34:55.000,0:35:01.000 And we're breathing the same air that they had. 0:35:01.000,0:35:12.000 So, I just started really going into that place and using materials. I used rephia cloth, 0:35:12.000,0:35:21.000 I used pigments as my paint. My original paint then I went over it and dyed it in indigo 0:35:21.000,0:35:29.000 and with other mediums and stitching. But really addressing and thinking about, thinking 0:35:29.000,0:35:41.000 about the ancients. Is it going to work? I'm sorry. 0:35:48.000,0:35:54.000 >> Now I think I can do it. Okay. This piece is the dancer. This was from a residency in 0:35:54.000,0:36:06.000 Brazil I was looking at who the abolitionists were. What was the culture that brought that 0:36:06.000,0:36:11.000 about, was the mix of two different you know, ecause Brazil is believed to be the most 0:36:11.000,0:36:20.000 Catholic of all countries. Yet at the same time it's a place where the African-based 0:36:20.000,0:36:27.000 religions are still practiced and respected within the Catholic church. And vice versa. 0:36:27.000,0:36:35.000 So, I was thinking about out of, out of the past into the present. 0:36:35.000,0:36:45.000 And thinking about the kapawear dancer being one of the symbols of a man abolitionist. 0:36:45.000,0:36:57.000 >> Karen, we’re still only seeing the one window of the PowerPoint. Go to the share 0:36:57.000,0:37:05.000 screen. You may need to stop your share and then share it on the slide show that had come 0:37:05.000,0:37:18.000 up, which is technically a different window. >> Karen: I'm so sorry. So, I'm there and 0:37:18.000,0:37:33.000 go back to the share screen again. Okay. I'm just going to jump to this one. Can you see 0:37:33.000,0:37:37.000 this image? >> Yes, we can. Thank you. 0:37:37.000,0:37:45.000 >> Karen: Okay. Okay. So, this is a walk with the ancestors, my work is historically based. 0:37:45.000,0:37:56.000 And in this case this was, I used images from inside the plantation where my maternal ancestors 0:37:56.000,0:38:06.000 were enslaved. And this was inside the green house, because it's the largest standing greenhouse 0:38:06.000,0:38:25.000 in North America. I think on the eastern coast. And I have all the stories about my ancestors 0:38:25.000,0:38:35.000 escaping from internment. And I tried to imagine what life was like 0:38:35.000,0:38:43.000 there. So, tell me if you can see if I click on this 0:38:43.000,0:38:48.000 one, can you see this image? >> Hrag: Yes. 0:38:48.000,0:38:52.500 >> Karen: This is the dancer I was speaking about before with -- dancer I was speaking 0:38:52.500,0:39:00.000 about before with Brazil. Now, I'm going to try to hopefully get out of. 0:39:13.000,0:39:20.000 >> Do you have more to continue. >> Karen: No, no, no, I was going to take 0:39:20.000,0:39:23.000 it out of share. >> No problem. 0:39:23.000,0:39:27.500 >> Hrag: Thank you for that. Seems like you have a number of fans in the comments which 0:39:27.500,0:39:33.000 is great to see. So, that's really wonderful. When we were talking and preparing for this 0:39:33.000,0:39:37.000 panel, one offer the things you mentioned, Karen, that I'm just dying to ask you about, 0:39:37.000,0:39:43.000 you were talking about images of coronavirus and COVID-19. How you were saying that you 0:39:43.000,0:39:49.000 dislike so many of the images being circulated. I'm curious if you want to explain why that 0:39:49.000,0:39:54.000 is. I'd love to hear a little bit about that. >> Karen: I guess I keep seeing the scientific 0:39:54.000,0:40:03.000 image that you know, is, and I just feel like you know, really what we need to be doing 0:40:03.000,0:40:09.000 is really using our own imaginations and having our own feelings as to what, what this virus 0:40:09.000,0:40:19.000 is and really having, really going into a whole thought process of, of really changing 0:40:19.000,0:40:25.000 the dynamics of it. >> Hrag: So, does that mean that you are still 0:40:25.000,0:40:29.500 looking for the right image. Do you feel like this is the job of the art community and craft 0:40:29.500,0:40:34.000 people to literally make those images. >> Karen: That's what I think it is. I really 0:40:34.000,0:40:39.000 think that it's, that this is the time for the artist and the crafts people to start, 0:40:39.000,0:40:44.000 to start changing the narrative. >> Hrag: Any idea how you would like to change 0:40:44.000,0:40:48.000 the narrative. >> Karen: I'm actually I'm work -- working 0:40:48.000,0:40:58.000 on a piece. Beginning a couple years ago I didn't know where it was coming from. It was 0:40:58.000,0:41:08.500 very different than my work. That new piece has just, it really feels like it is like 0:41:08.500,0:41:20.000 a seed exploding. And that it is, and I don't know, that is the virus, but maybe I really 0:41:20.000,0:41:25.000 think that it is the people exploding, and really growth and regrowth. 0:41:25.000,0:41:32.000 >> Hrag: So, how have you seen your own process changed as a result of this crisis? Have you 0:41:32.000,0:41:37.000 been spending more time weaving, more time sort of doing research? How has it impacted 0:41:37.000,0:41:43.000 that? >> Karen: At first, well, in early March, 0:41:43.000,0:41:50.000 I believe, I got a text message from my son. He said I think it's time to start making 0:41:50.000,0:41:58.000 masks now. Because my daughter-in-law is a nurse at the hospital in Washington state 0:41:58.000,0:42:05.000 that had the first cases. I just, like, whipped into gear and began, 0:42:05.000,0:42:11.000 and started thinking and started feeling very much what Stephanie was speaking about, and 0:42:11.000,0:42:18.500 the video was speaking about, that it's really, you know the galvanizing of forces and really 0:42:18.500,0:42:27.000 taking action. One of the things I did at that point, because I was really thinking 0:42:27.000,0:42:32.000 about how I was going to teach my students, was really to bring it into the classroom, 0:42:32.000,0:42:43.000 and to challenge them to start making masks. I didn't care who they gave their masks to, 0:42:43.000,0:42:48.500 but it was the act that, you know, really going back to that place to be alive is a 0:42:48.500,0:42:52.000 political act. >> Hrag: Right. So one of the things you also, 0:42:52.000,0:42:57.000 when talking about your work before this panel, one of the words you brought up was subversive. 0:42:57.000,0:43:04.500 Sometimes images pass in a crisis like this. How do you see that tendency? How do you see 0:43:04.500,0:43:09.000 that play out? How do you hope it could add to the bigger conversation? 0:43:09.000,0:43:15.000 >> Karen: Well, I really think that it's up to, you know, it very much sits in the hands 0:43:15.000,0:43:26.000 of artists to rewrite the script. To really, to really challenge things by looking at it 0:43:26.000,0:43:36.500 and creating a different world view. We're endowed with this, with creative energy, 0:43:36.500,0:43:45.000 and that it's really had creative energy where new growth can come from you know. I think 0:43:45.000,0:43:50.000 that this is a challenge. This is a time for us to dream about the future. 0:43:50.000,0:43:58.000 Making a more equitable future. Really bringing people together. Building community. 0:43:58.000,0:44:07.500 And really enhancing thought. >> Hrag: Excellent. Thank you so much, Karen, 0:44:07.500,0:44:12.000 really appreciate that. So, with that we're going to move on to our third topic, which 0:44:12.000,0:44:19.000 is what roles will craft play beyond this current humanitarian crisis to help us heal 0:44:19.000,0:44:34.000 and to mend. So we're going to begin with a video by Avra tackling the outbreak in a 0:44:34.000,0:44:37.500 critical care unit with colleagues. So I'm going to start with that. 0:48:21.000,0:48:31.500 >> Hrag: Great. Thank you so much. So next we have Holly who will be talking about her 0:48:31.500,0:48:37.000 various projects that specifically have to do with the topic of touch. Holly you have 0:48:37.000,0:48:46.000 the floor. >> Holly: Thanks. I'm going to show images 0:48:46.000,0:48:54.000 and work about an earlier project I did which deals with these ceramic objects I would make 0:48:54.000,0:49:00.000 with people. I'm going to show you one now. This is basically what I'm going to end the 0:49:00.000,0:49:10.000 conversation with. First, I'm going to start with just showing you a few images. And I 0:49:10.000,0:49:30.000 will start here. These are, let me go to the beginning. Here 0:49:30.000,0:49:35.000 we are. >> We are still seeing your camera and not 0:49:35.000,0:49:42.000 your screen. >> Holly: Let me go back. I think I need to 0:49:42.000,0:49:49.000 share my screen. See if this helps. >> There we are, we see it now. 0:49:49.000,0:49:54.000 >> Holly: Thank you. And are you sharing, okay. 0:49:54.000,0:50:04.000 So, I don't know if you are seeing, here we go. So, I'm going to start here. These are 0:50:04.000,0:50:09.500 images of people who have been holding other people's hands with clay in it. 0:50:09.500,0:50:17.000 This project began about five or six years ago when I was walking around campus, I teach 0:50:17.000,0:50:23.000 at Florida University, I saw students not engaging with each other, but engaging with 0:50:23.000,0:50:32.000 their phones. To me it seemed like a loss of touch. Somebody who works in ceramics, 0:50:32.000,0:50:39.000 I love working with the material. So, basically, I'm going to talk a little 0:50:39.000,0:50:45.000 bit about this project. Then I'm going to end with self-soothing stones I showed you 0:50:45.000,0:50:50.000 at the very beginning. So part of this project, as I went around 0:50:50.000,0:50:56.500 the country, I asked people to hold hands with myself or another person. Just really 0:50:56.500,0:51:02.500 squeeze the material and then actually relax and just be with one another. 0:51:02.500,0:51:08.000 Part of the act of doing that was the shared space that felt part performance, a little 0:51:08.000,0:51:16.000 durational, at times physically draining. After spending time with one another, there 0:51:16.000,0:51:23.000 was this beautiful handshake that emerged from our hands. These eventually got fired. 0:51:23.000,0:51:30.000 And I was really sort of thinking about what happens during the handshake. What happens 0:51:30.000,0:51:34.500 when we touch another person, or touch our skin upon a material. 0:51:34.500,0:51:52.000 We get a lot of substantial, we get, I'm not sure where that's coming from, I'm just going 0:51:52.000,0:52:02.000 to keep moving and talk a little bit about the fact that ocotosin would take place. It 0:52:02.000,0:52:06.000 is that feeling good hormone that happens. I think it's one of the things right now, 0:52:06.000,0:52:11.000 it is really important for us during the pandemic, to have that moment where we're cuddling with 0:52:11.000,0:52:17.000 our pets or hugging a person, if you’re living alone, social isolation, we're not 0:52:17.000,0:52:22.000 having that. So, during the process of this project, I 0:52:22.000,0:52:27.500 realize that touching and where it takes place in the brain was a pretty important experience. 0:52:27.500,0:52:35.000 As part of this project, I did work with a neuroscientist to find out where touch took 0:52:35.000,0:52:39.000 place in the brain. And I'm going to just sort of show you the 0:52:39.000,0:52:48.000 end of the project which resulted in all these handshakes, and put in installation, from 0:52:48.000,0:52:58.000 there they were used in different manners. Then I'm going to end, this is the other project 0:52:58.000,0:53:06.000 in between, I'm going to sort of cycle back to the stones. I think the idea of using your 0:53:06.000,0:53:12.000 senses during this time is so important. This project was actually a time where the visual 0:53:12.000,0:53:20.000 sense was not nearly as important but feeling through your hands, and through smelling, 0:53:20.000,0:53:25.000 and through temperature. So, I'm going to sort of end now by going 0:53:25.000,0:53:31.000 back to the idea of these self-soothing stones. And how, it's so important during a time like 0:53:31.000,0:53:35.000 this, that we have something that we can use to calm ourselves. 0:53:35.000,0:53:43.000 Like our earlier guest on the program, I want to say that if you are ceramic artist and 0:53:43.000,0:53:51.000 you have access to ceramics now, this is a wonderful way to share making a stone, firing 0:53:51.000,0:54:00.000 it, and giving it to other people who are at risk, or with people who need to have some 0:54:00.000,0:54:05.000 kind of anxiety, or way to remove stress from their environment. 0:54:05.000,0:54:20.000 So, I'm going to actually now exit the show and come back, to stop sharing, and come back 0:54:20.000,0:54:27.000 to you. >> Hrag: Great, thanks so much. How have people 0:54:27.000,0:54:32.000 reacted? Have there been surprising reactions to this? Touch is one of those things some 0:54:32.000,0:54:39.500 people might be very sensitive about. Or unexpected, particularly around craft or any kind of artistic 0:54:39.500,0:54:46.000 project, where people are more comfortable in the role of observer. Anything you would 0:54:46.000,0:54:59.000 like to share, part of this project was observing other people's behavior and creating space 0:54:59.000,0:55:07.000 for someone to walk in and feel comfortable. My sense was starting to observe how to make 0:55:07.000,0:55:11.500 people comfortable. That really is part of the social practice aspect of this, where 0:55:11.500,0:55:18.000 it's just, you are actually creating a moment where you want somebody else to be at ease. 0:55:18.000,0:55:24.000 And you really want somebody to feel comfortable. And you want the experience to happen in a 0:55:24.000,0:55:30.000 way that really benefits them. So, creating those certain environments or 0:55:30.000,0:55:36.000 certain moments are really important. I mean a self-soothing stone is fine cause you are 0:55:36.000,0:55:40.000 going to use that privately. You don't have to interact with anybody. But if you are holding 0:55:40.000,0:55:44.500 hands with somebody, it can be a little uncomfortable if you are introvert. 0:55:44.500,0:55:51.000 One person I held hands with really wanted to do it, he kept circling, then he told me 0:55:51.000,0:56:00.000 he had sweaty hands. It's different for everybody. Each situation how we encounter each other. 0:56:00.000,0:56:04.500 >> Hrag: Sound like you are learning a lot of things about people that you don't always 0:56:04.500,0:56:07.500 expect. >> Holly: True. True. 0:56:07.500,0:56:12.000 >> Hrag: How about in terms of like, do you see this as a social practice project? How 0:56:12.000,0:56:16.000 do you characterize this? How do you frame this for people when you are telling them 0:56:16.000,0:56:20.000 about it? >> Holly: I do see this as a social practice 0:56:20.000,0:56:26.000 project. Because I need to engage with another person for it to actually take place and happen. 0:56:26.000,0:56:32.000 Not the soothing stones so much, but the act of actually reaching out and having a one 0:56:32.000,0:56:38.000 to one moment with somebody and holding their hand. That has to happen with another human 0:56:38.000,0:56:45.000 being. I was just reading this section from Anni Albers talking about, “We touch things 0:56:45.000,0:56:52.000 to assure ourselves of reality, and we touch objects that we love. Our textile experiences 0:56:52.000,0:56:58.500 are [ Indiscernible ]. ight now during this pandemic touch is so important. It really, 0:56:58.500,0:57:04.000 it really changes the way we feel about our anxiety. You 0:57:04.000,0:57:10.000 have a dog or cat, spending a lot of time even touching them is really healing. 0:57:10.000,0:57:16.000 >> Hrag: I love the sensitivity of the project. One of the things I'd love is if you talk 0:57:16.000,0:57:21.000 about, after the process of them creating this object, what happens to the object? How 0:57:21.000,0:57:30.000 is it treated? How are, do the people themselves, do they ask for, you know, photos of it? What 0:57:30.000,0:57:34.000 have you been finding? >> Holly: Well, I took the objects, then after 0:57:34.000,0:57:41.000 they were wet, and we took, we really opened up the hand to look at the objects. And then 0:57:41.000,0:57:45.000 you could see their imprint, and my imprint, or their imprint, or the person that they 0:57:45.000,0:57:52.000 held hands with imprint. There was a magical moment when people used to take black and 0:57:52.000,0:57:58.000 white pictures and watch it come to life. I took those back, and then I fired them in 0:57:58.000,0:58:04.000 the kiln, then really, because I used a very beautiful porcelain clay body and put a little 0:58:04.000,0:58:10.000 bit of sheen or glaze on it, they became sort of these really beautiful objects in and of 0:58:10.000,0:58:17.000 themselves. They were placed in different settings. I really think that now going back 0:58:17.000,0:58:25.000 to these soothing stones, really giving them to people in this particular moment in time, 0:58:25.000,0:58:30.000 it's a way for people to have this physical object in their hand and really be able to 0:58:30.000,0:58:35.000 hold on to something. So it's not even about looking at it, just 0:58:35.000,0:58:42.000 like holding on and knowing it's there in a very elemental way that is physically soothing. 0:58:42.000,0:58:48.000 >> Hrag: Three people are asking for the quote for the quote what book it comes from. 0:58:48.000,0:59:05.000 >> Holly: Came from this book Craft. Edited by Tanya Harrod. It is on page 27. A great 0:59:05.000,0:59:07.000 book. >> Hrag: For those people who wanted to know. 0:59:07.000,0:59:15.000 In a project like this have you thought about actually, like when this project could be 0:59:15.000,0:59:20.000 revitalized? At this time, obviously we're trying to discourage people from shaking hands. 0:59:20.000,0:59:26.000 Have you given it some thought in terms of how you would want to maybe reintroduce this, 0:59:26.000,0:59:33.000 maybe post pandemic? Any thinking about that? >> Holly: Yeah one of the things that comes 0:59:33.000,0:59:40.000 to mind recently in the last couple of years, is a little upsetting in a way, some people 0:59:40.000,0:59:45.000 that I lost in my life, I was thinking I wish I had put a piece of clay in their hand, and 0:59:45.000,0:59:53.000 held their hand at the end of their life. I really think that, I mean this is an unfortunate 0:59:53.000,0:59:58.000 time because people are dying and they are not next to their loved ones. I think about 0:59:58.000,1:00:03.500 that moment when you want to touch the person at the end of their life, how painful that 1:00:03.500,1:00:12.500 is, also to have this memory that's a tangible object. As makers, we esteem objects, they 1:00:12.500,1:00:19.000 are such an important part of our daily life. I would love to see this live on in that capacity. 1:00:19.000,1:00:25.000 >> Hrag: I mean I was really touched deeply by what you said, because I think particularly 1:00:25.000,1:00:32.000 for those of us who had loved ones pass away, a last grasp of the hand is sometimes the 1:00:32.000,1:00:37.000 most memorable moment. Even a project like this I can see helping people sort of, like, 1:00:37.000,1:00:41.000 connect with people that are, that have, gone away. 1:00:41.000,1:00:45.000 I think that is such a beautiful, beautiful thing, Holly, really appreciate that. 1:00:45.000,1:00:51.000 If you were to say, one of the things I love to ask makers, if you had an unlimited budget 1:00:51.000,1:00:56.000 for this, how would you possibly change it? Or what would you want to add to it in order 1:00:56.000,1:01:01.000 to augment? [ Indiscernible ] >> Holly: I think as an educator, and really 1:01:01.000,1:01:11.000 as an advocate for craft, I would prefer to go out into the world, to all the craft organizations, 1:01:11.000,1:01:21.000 workshops, and schools and give them as much clay as possible and say, go out in the world 1:01:21.000,1:01:25.500 and change the world with social practice by doing whatever you can do engage another 1:01:25.500,1:01:32.000 person. By molding hands. Put clay in it. By giving them something that gives somebody 1:01:32.000,1:01:36.000 a sense of what a material feels like in your hand. 1:01:36.000,1:01:44.000 To me, it's not just about what happens in my life with my practice, but really changing 1:01:44.000,1:01:49.000 the practice in and of themselves. I love that quote by Theaster Gates, “Make the 1:01:49.000,1:01:54.000 thing that makes the thing.” And that, to me, is really what I would esteem to do. 1:01:54.000,1:02:00.000 >> Hrag: Beautiful, I love that. Some people in the comments asked, would you think about 1:02:00.000,1:02:10.000 doing this with gloves? Someone shared, Judy Polini, she cast her mother's hands, and lost 1:02:10.000,1:02:17.000 her a few years ago, it's a precious object, I think, Holly, you are tapping into emotional 1:02:17.000,1:02:21.000 connections we have with touch that is really powerful. 1:02:21.000,1:02:27.500 Are there other makers that you've been looking at in terms of this project, you just mentioned 1:02:27.500,1:02:37.000 Theaster Gates, are there other makers and how, if there's a community aspect of this 1:02:37.000,1:02:42.000 within your own making community, and your own colleagues, how that sort of works for 1:02:42.000,1:02:45.000 you? >> Holly: Sure. I am part of the Socially 1:02:45.000,1:02:52.000 Engaged Craft Collective. There's a lot of people within that group of people that are 1:02:52.000,1:03:00.000 working directly with other people, with ceramics and sharing and collaborating, feasting and 1:03:00.000,1:03:06.000 making and working together. We were also talking about some of the projects 1:03:06.000,1:03:11.000 we've done collaborating across the table with people who have made objects, and brought 1:03:11.000,1:03:20.000 them for meals, and shared cups of conversation. There's just so many different ways that people 1:03:20.000,1:03:26.000 can connect through their object making, through a real engaged experience. 1:03:26.000,1:03:33.500 That, to me, is a way to completely engage one with our senses through food, through 1:03:33.500,1:03:39.000 drinking tea or coffee through a cup, through wearing a piece of jewelry that somebody made 1:03:39.000,1:03:44.000 specifically for you. Anyway, where you are really connecting with 1:03:44.000,1:03:50.000 a group of people, and they feel like there's a visceral sense between what they are holding, 1:03:50.000,1:03:57.000 or making, or experiencing, and creates a human connection, I think is a positive point 1:03:57.000,1:04:01.000 in our culture right now. >> Hrag: That's great. Absolutely. So, now 1:04:01.000,1:04:07.000 I'm going to ask Karen and Stephanie to join us again, so that we can, you know, open it 1:04:07.000,1:04:14.000 up for more broad conversations that anyone has. I have one big question that Karen, actually 1:04:14.000,1:04:19.000 first we were talking about initially, I would love for all of you to sort of answer in your 1:04:19.000,1:04:23.000 own way. I think this is what a lot of us are thinking about. Many of us are saying 1:04:23.000,1:04:28.000 the arts community is never going to be the same again, as we talked about so many different 1:04:28.000,1:04:35.000 things. How is it going to be different? What is your own hope for it to be different? Karen 1:04:35.000,1:04:39.000 would you like to start because you are the one who first tipped me to this question, 1:04:39.000,1:04:44.000 this is a great question for a panel like this, so I wonder if you could start. 1:04:44.000,1:04:50.500 >> Karen: Well, I just started really thinking about the fact that so many galleries, so 1:04:50.500,1:04:55.000 many of the large galleries, won't be able to continue or they'll have to shift and make 1:04:55.000,1:05:05.000 changes because of being closed for so long. And I started thinking about just how, you 1:05:05.000,1:05:13.000 know, what will really be accessible is really public art. And really art that is made, you 1:05:13.000,1:05:22.000 know, that's really available. And really we're going to need it so much 1:05:22.000,1:05:27.000 more, because this is going to be the period of time when things are going to be really, 1:05:27.000,1:05:33.000 really difficult. What we're coming into, and you know, and 1:05:33.000,1:05:40.000 started thinking about the WPA, but really how, what does it look like in the future? 1:05:40.000,1:05:46.000 How can it be really, maybe it's more community activated? 1:05:46.000,1:05:52.000 >> Hrag: Okay. I love that, Stephanie, would you like to go next. 1:05:52.000,1:05:58.000 >> Stephanie: Yes, I guess to also follow what Karen was saying, the notion of resources 1:05:58.000,1:06:06.000 and this future in which resources might be allocated differently or unfairly. 1:06:06.000,1:06:13.000 I think in our “normal time,” right, where everyone is always saying “oh, I can't wait 1:06:13.000,1:06:18.000 for things to get back to normal.” But normal was always a problem anyway, in terms of like, 1:06:18.000,1:06:25.000 who got access to, you know, the time to make artwork, time, or support systems to be an 1:06:25.000,1:06:31.000 artist or craftsperson. What I'm curious about, of course it's both 1:06:31.000,1:06:36.000 an opportunity, I think, it's also kind of a tragic opportunity, is that we're going 1:06:36.000,1:06:44.000 to see a shift of resources away from, some of, maybe more progressive or newly established 1:06:44.000,1:06:50.000 places that have been given platforms or voices, artist of color, all sorts of folks, there's 1:06:50.000,1:06:55.000 going to be circling of the wagons, what I'm fearful of. 1:06:55.000,1:07:01.000 I think what that means then is that it's up to the rest of us, to those that can identify 1:07:01.000,1:07:08.000 this issue, and create the networks that are in parallel to the institutions, right. 1:07:08.000,1:07:14.000 So, if our government or our institutions cannot help us, or support us, what are we 1:07:14.000,1:07:19.000 going to do on a very grassroots level? >>Hrag: That's great. Thank you, Stephanie. 1:07:19.000,1:07:25.000 Holly, first of all someone also wanted to ask you to reread the Anni Albers quote, cause 1:07:25.000,1:07:30.000 I think everyone really loves that quote. If you want to do that a little later, or 1:07:30.000,1:07:35.000 right now, feel free. I also wanted you to answer this question if you can. 1:07:35.000,1:07:40.500 >> Holly: I really think that community, going back to what they were saying, is important. 1:07:40.500,1:07:49.000 I really feel like there's a bartering community. There's the lateral community. I really think 1:07:49.000,1:07:56.000 that I think of community in so many different ways. In terms of an equitable community, 1:07:56.000,1:08:03.000 it's not been equitable for a while. I'm not exactly sure how this new disruption, it's 1:08:03.000,1:08:10.000 going to make things worse. I'm an educator and I'm really concerned about 1:08:10.000,1:08:13.500 the ramifications in the next couple years. I think we have absolutely no idea what's 1:08:13.500,1:08:21.500 going to happen. I don't even, I don't even know where to begin to answer that question 1:08:21.500,1:08:31.500 cause I, I just am really concerned about our culture in general. Wish I had a great 1:08:31.500,1:08:36.000 answer but I don't have anything that I feel like I can immediately go to. 1:08:36.000,1:08:42.000 >> Hrag: So, I just, I wonder if, one thing I love to do with these different panels is 1:08:42.000,1:08:48.000 see if the panelists have questions for each other. All of you guys are the experts. You 1:08:48.000,1:08:52.000 are the ones making, you are hearing all these different projects. I'm wondering if any of 1:08:52.000,1:08:58.000 you have a question for each other about any of your projects before we continue? 1:08:58.000,1:09:04.000 Think about that while I prepare the next one. Really great question, Stephanie, I would 1:09:04.000,1:09:12.000 love to pose to you from Joshua Green. You responded in the chat a little bit. Could 1:09:12.000,1:09:18.000 you respond to it a little more publicly for other people who may not have seen that. The 1:09:18.000,1:09:23.000 question was, “how do any of the panelists envision the craft arts community pivoting 1:09:23.000,1:09:30.000 from addressing immediate needs to taking direct action from creating PPE, to critiquing 1:09:30.000,1:09:38.000 change policies from which this need precipitated?” Great question. 1:09:38.000,1:09:45.500 >> Stephanie: Framing of that was perfect. I've been thinking about this a lot. When 1:09:45.500,1:09:51.000 we get to that point, right, where we can take a step back finally, because at this 1:09:51.000,1:10:00.500 point we're still having a kind of first responder situation to things. Like what are, what I'm 1:10:00.500,1:10:06.000 curious about is, we've been talking a lot about this notion of mending and fixing. And 1:10:06.000,1:10:12.000 I'm wondering if we can further that word a little bit and talk about “dismantling”. 1:10:12.000,1:10:19.000 Because method mending and fixing is one thing, you are healing or adding a wound. But what 1:10:19.000,1:10:26.000 about the entire structure that created that wound? Whether, the building, the reconstitution, 1:10:26.000,1:10:32.000 refiguring. As much as I love healing and mending I do think sometimes there's this 1:10:32.000,1:10:39.000 notion of it's responding to a situation rather than proactively changing it. 1:10:39.000,1:10:46.500 >> Hrag: That's so well put. And somebody in the comments mentioned came up with the 1:10:46.500,1:10:52.000 term “dis-mending,” or at least wrote that, which I really love. I think one, to 1:10:52.000,1:10:55.000 speak to your point, what I'm hearing from a lot of people who want to make changes, 1:10:55.000,1:11:02.000 grappling with anxiety and fierceness, not sort of addressing the problem. Karen, do 1:11:02.000,1:11:05.500 you have any comments about that question or anything you would like to add. 1:11:05.500,1:11:11.000 >> Karen: I just, I mean I really, I totally agree with Stephanie. I think that it really 1:11:11.000,1:11:19.000 is the dismantling of the structure that's built up, that's kind of been built in the 1:11:19.000,1:11:30.000 air. And really reforming, really looking at its parts and envisioning something different. 1:11:30.000,1:11:36.000 I just think that we're really at the stage right now where so much is in the dreaming 1:11:36.000,1:11:41.000 state, where we really have to dream, you know dream very big on many many different 1:11:41.000,1:11:51.000 levels to see how to approach things differently. Because I just think one of the things in 1:11:51.000,1:12:01.000 the news being Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, where they are just slashing all the arts 1:12:01.000,1:12:12.000 funding, you know on both the state and the city level. That's like inconceivable. And 1:12:12.000,1:12:18.000 so, you know, and we're going to see that in a lot of places. So it's really going to 1:12:18.000,1:12:28.500 be, you know, the act, really activating, activating populations and making, and really 1:12:28.500,1:12:39.000 forming allyships on many many different levels between the, you know, the home crafters and 1:12:39.000,1:12:48.000 the people who have gone to art school, and stuff like that. Really really meeting together 1:12:48.000,1:12:52.000 and figuring out and, you know, really seeing each other. 1:12:52.000,1:12:58.000 >> Hrag: Thank you. Unfortunately, we're going to wrap up. Holly, do you have, is there anything 1:12:58.000,1:13:01.000 you would like to add about anything that was said to that question? 1:13:01.000,1:13:10.000 >> Holly: I think the structure is going to change significantly. And I look at a lot 1:13:10.000,1:13:18.000 of art organizations that are just grappling with what's going on right now. There's just 1:13:18.000,1:13:23.000 so many different things, it's like putting out fires all the time. It's hard to imagine 1:13:23.000,1:13:26.500 what it's going to look like in a couple years from now. 1:13:26.500,1:13:31.000 >> Hrag: Very true. >> Holly: But I do think there's a really 1:13:31.000,1:13:43.000 strong sense of a group of people who really want to make it, make it work. And I, I think 1:13:43.000,1:13:47.000 it would be really interesting to historically look at the WPA and see how something like 1:13:47.000,1:13:56.000 that could be reinvented. To deconstruct what we have now and reinvented in a way that provides 1:13:56.000,1:14:02.000 as many different ways to support as many people as possible. And I, I don't even really, 1:14:02.000,1:14:10.000 I can't imagine how that would have to be to help people at this point in time. I love 1:14:10.000,1:14:16.000 what Stephanie said before that was excellent. >> Hrag: Thank you. I want to echo what Karen 1:14:16.000,1:14:22.000 said for those who may not know, just this week on Hyperallergic we reported that the 1:14:22.000,1:14:27.000 mayor of Philadelphia introduced a bill for next year that eliminates all 4.4 million 1:14:27.000,1:14:33.000 allowance for the city as well as state funding for the arts. I think we're still sort of 1:14:33.000,1:14:39.500 understanding the scope of this. And what's going on. I wanted to thank Stephanie, Holly, 1:14:39.500,1:14:45.000 and Karen. I know these Zoom meetings can be awkward, particularly for those of us who 1:14:45.000,1:14:50.500 are not used to being on Zoom all the time. You guys did great. Thank you so much for 1:14:50.500,1:14:57.000 your insight and expertise. I want to introduce Sarah Schultz, Executive Director of American 1:14:57.000,1:15:02.000 Craft Council, just to say some parting words. Sarah you have the floor. 1:15:02.000,1:15:12.000 >> Sarah: I unmuted. Thanks to all the amazing conversation. I have pages and pages of notes 1:15:12.000,1:15:19.000 that will be distilled. A lot of things to say. This was one thing 1:15:19.000,1:15:23.000 I do want to add in all of this, we started out by thinking about craft thinking. And 1:15:23.000,1:15:30.000 one of the things that always really astounds me about coming from craft practices is to 1:15:30.000,1:15:35.000 think about the characteristics of makers and those practices, actually, that keep us 1:15:35.000,1:15:40.000 whole as individuals in communities. Not to lose sight of those qualities. I think 1:15:40.000,1:15:46.000 of what you talked about: resourcefulness, adaptation, organizing, visability, exchange, 1:15:46.000,1:15:54.000 not just free exchange, not just the offer of labor, but the free exchange of knowledge 1:15:54.000,1:16:03.000 for the betterment of the whole. Care and generosity. Your own anger and subversiveness 1:16:03.000,1:16:10.000 and a call to action. So, you know, God, I have to say like in these moments God bless 1:16:10.000,1:16:12.500 craft. One last thing I want to say we look ahead 1:16:12.500,1:16:20.000 to the next two forums, too, is I think what we've seen here is the amazing skills and 1:16:20.000,1:16:25.000 talents and what artists can bring to all of us, and the ways perhaps we take that 1:16:25.000,1:16:33.000 for granted. I think I'm all for WPA. I would remind ourselves that it was a federal centralized 1:16:33.000,1:16:40.000 project. I think it's up to all of us, and all the positions of power that we have, to 1:16:40.000,1:16:46.000 really think about what we can do to build those systems and support mechanisms for artists. 1:16:46.000,1:16:50.500 Because they need them in order to affect that change, they need support and they need 1:16:50.500,1:16:53.500 systems that will allow them to be visible and do that work. 1:16:53.500,1:17:00.000 So, I know those are going to be future forum conversations. Excited to leave my Friday 1:17:00.000,1:17:06.000 on that cheerleading note. And I just want to say thank you all, and thanks to everybody who came. 1:17:06.000,1:17:10.000 I hope to see you again in two weeks. 1:17:10.000,1:17:12.500 >> Hrag: Great. Thank you, Sarah. Thank you, 1:17:12.500,1:17:17.000 everyone. Thank you for joining us. I hope you'll join us for our next panel. And you'll 1:17:17.000,1:17:23.659 all be receiving emails about that, I'm sure. And it was a pleasure to be hosting. 1:17:23.659,1:17:26.320 [ Concluded ]