Climate Craftivism

In early April I received an email with the subject heading  "Quaker arts and service opportunity". It started " Dear Eugene Friends,   I would like to pass along the following, about an opportunity for Quakers and others to engage in an international community craft project in response to our climate crisis, to share with those who may be interested in your meeting. Please do feel free to let me know if you have any questions.   In Friendship, Matt Rosen, The Loving Earth Project, Oxford Meeting."   I dove into the attached information and the linked web page, and I was hooked! The Loving Earth Project is an international community textile project, started by a few British Quakers in 2019. They are collecting fabric art panels to use in a traveling exhibit, which will go to Glasgow for the Climate Summit this fall. But the real goal is to encourage us to each explore our connection to some place on the earth, and what action we can take to show our love for it.   Y

I received an invitation from 350 to make a Tree Sign for Earth Day. It took me a while, but I finally made one! Here is the invitation: This Earth Day project “Tree Speech,” engages people in honoring the trees in our neighborhoods, by making simple signs that appear as if held by the tree itself. The signs offer messages that individual trees have to tell us about themselves and their many gifts. Hopefully, as we actively engage with these magnificent beings, messages will emerge as we sit at the foot of trees, or perhaps climb them. In Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, she lyrically demonstrates “… that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.” “... For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth ...” Elizabeth Gilbert   We invite you to consider the trees in your yard and your neigh

In February I made this valentine for the earth, which I handed out at our February Climate Revolutions bike ride. It started with this drawing of the earth and a bicycle, which I transferred to a 4 X 6-inch linoleum block, and cut with gouges and knives. (My first linoleum block in years!) I used black block printing ink, rolled out with a brayer on my pallet, then spread onto the block. Then I placed pre-cut printing paper on top and rubbed. I added the blue wash after the ink dried.

Last spring we got together to silkscreen some patches-- these are small logos on cloth that we pin onto clothing or bikes or packs. We hand them out for free at our Climate Revolutions meetings, for people to wear, and our goal is to start seeing them all over town! Last week we cut out and painted more to hand out. And at our last bike ride, I took these photos.

Our 350 and Climate Revolutions group will ride our bikes in Eugene's annual street parade, and we made a banner! It's ten-feet long, and say: Step Up For Climate  Bike Everyday! I decided to use an old canvas drop cloth because it's got some weight, and it was free. I spread it out in my driveway and used a 2x4 to draw lines I roughed in the letters with pencil, then outlined again with black Sharpie. Then I brought it in to my studio to start to paint. I'm using flat latex house paint and a foam brush. I used some old white house paint to cover up some paint stains on the cloth. And some leftover orange latex paint to make a stripe down the center On Friday we had a banner painting party, and I forgot to take pictures, but we finished the letters and the stripes. We cut small slits and used zip-ties to attach it to a bamboo pole!

I went out of town for a Quaker Annual Session, and I wanted to bring a small project that I could work on during plenaries and other meetings. I decided to make some stamp-printed pins to give away. My small alphabet stamps. All my supplies in my tackle box: Cloth, stamps and stamp pad, felt, scissors, thread and needle, safety pins.  1. Test on paper, then stamp on a scrap of cloth. 2. Cut a piece of felt for the backing. 3. Sew together around the edges, then add a safety pin on back. Kids made some too!