Love & Empathy

Since November 10th, these words have been ringing in my ears:

To all the little girls watching...never doubt that you are valuable and powerful & deserving of every chance & opportunity in the world. --Hillary Clinton

On Saturday we joined with millions of others around the world for a "sister march" of the Women's March On Washington in Shreveport, Louisiana.

As we gathered on the sidewalk of the courthouse to march we met friendly folks of all generations. Many approached Lizzie to tell her they came today to march for her and for her generation. They told her they were proud of her for marching for what she believes in. They told her she was beautiful. I thank these kind strangers for empowering her.

My daughter is young and on the cusp of womanhood. She has so many questions, she is confused about the hateful rhetoric flying around the news and social media. She wants to do something to make it stop and to show love and empathy towards others.

Together we read the mission statement and like a wave it echoed through the crowd lined around the courthouse. Together we took a first step and we marched. Hear our voice!

Thank you for documenting our family at the march Kristen!

Coin Cunt Print

The 'Coin Cunt' project began innocently last summer when I was playing around with an old coin purse. I flipped it inside out, and saw a vaginal form emerge from my playful pinching and tucking. Using a needle and thread I stitched it into place. As I thought about it, I found so much association between the little pocket-like forms and the inferred suggestions that these new objects brought to mind.

I began sharing the 'Coin Cunts' on social media and am amazed at the feedback it has provided. With a simple alteration these ubiquitous objects became evocative and their appeal provocative when I dubbed them 'Coin Cunts'. Aside from the chuckles, I've found that others can see in this project our assumed cultural associations of money and women, prostitution, female genital mutilation, suppression of women, gender equality, body image ideals, equal pay and the list continues to grow.

Ever since the 'Coin Cunt' images began making their rounds on social media I've had to turn down numerous purchase requests. My goal with this project is to grow the collection until I have a large installation of 100 or more. In order finance the rest of this project and give you an opportunity to enjoy this image on a daily basis I'm offering a limited edition of 25 pigment prints on my website.

A video posted by Suzanna Scott (@suzanna_scott) on May 24, 2016 at 7:55am PDT

Draw The Line

There are 1,865 tally marks embroidered onto this light blue cotton square. I'm mailing it off today to join with others in speaking out for the reproductive rights of women. Please join us!

On March 2nd, 2016, the United States Supreme Court will hear the most important reproductive rights case in almost 25 years. The decision will determine whether Texas can shut down nearly all abortion care providers in the state and prevent 5.4 million women of reproductive age from accessing the healthcare they need.

Using craft as activism, artist Chi Nguyen—in partnership with the Textile Arts Center and the Center for Reproductive Rights—is holding a series of stitch-ins to make physical the number of women whose right to safe and legal abortion is currently at risk. With each line representing an individual woman, the 5.4 Million and Counting project is only finished when all 5.4 million lines are embroidered.

The public is invited to Draw the Line by joining the embroidery process at the stitch-ins, or by sending in their own 10×10” swatches with as many tally marks (卌) as they would like to embroider. All swatches will be patched onto a larger quilt to be used at the Supreme Court rally on March 2nd, 2016.

If you cannot join the public stitch-ins but would like to participate, please follow the directions below. We cannot accomplish this project without you.

• You can use a 10x10 inch swatch in any material and color. A contrasting thread color is important to ensure that your tallies are invisible.

• Once finished, indicate the number of lines you have embroidered on a notecard. Please write your name on the same card if you would like to be acknowledged by the project.

• Send all materials to:

Kelly Valletta, 5.4 Million and Counting Project
Textile Arts Center
505 Carroll St
Brooklyn NY 11215

A video posted by Textile Arts Center (@textileartscenter) on Feb 9, 2016 at 1:51pm PST