Gail's contribution into Aziza's Book

Pam's Contribution to Michele's Book

After the first book swap at my place, listening to Aziza talk about dandelions and thinking about my last book/print project that included weeds--specifically thistles and dandelions as metaphors for Black women, I wanted to use them in Michele's book.  Keeping with my theme of resilience and resistance and connecting it to Michele's theme of "progression."  This year has been one of dichotomies, so I used one in my approach to Michele's book---progression/regression---for every step forward, we seem to take one back, but as dandelions, we also continue to hang tough, spread the word, and raise more warriors for the cause.  I started with a gelatin print and collaged paste paper triangles --one showing upward motion (progression) and one showing downward motion (regression).  I then collaged the dictionary terms for both words, and the quote about contemporary artists: "The world is a crazy place to the inspired space of modern makers where we learn limits have no meaning."  I then added pen drawings of a Black woman with a dandelion afro looking both forward and backward--and images of dandelions in their various stages of growth and decay.

I think of us as artivists, artists who are also activists-- Dandelion's Daughters. I was also inspired to look at poems about dandelions and found an amazing book series, Roots of Resistance: The Dandelion Trilogy by Rivera Sun.