Mixed media, pencil, charcoal, acrylic on canvas, 3’X3′.
“Out of chaos comes a new form of freedom.” Anonymous
Liberty is an interesting word. To me it always meant freedom. But as a middle class white female, I had no concept of what not being free meant. There were barriers being a female, but nothing compared with being an immigrant, or person of color or Native American. I was pretty young during the Civil Rights movement and I don’t remember it noticeably affecting my lifestyle. At times it was peaceful, angry, chaotic and effective. From the chaos came hope and a greater change in freedom for many people.
I think my real awakening to what liberty/freedom meant was after 9/11 when the twin towers fell and the Patriot Act was introduced. It was very clear at that time that some of the freedoms I’d taken for granted were gone. It was a time of fear and suspicion yet a fierce feeling of community coming together in the United States.
Fast forward 16 years later and a new leader is voted in as President. He is not a politician, he is outspoken and causes a great deal of chaos and uncertainty for many—from the incarcerated evacuees of Columbia to DACA to women’s rights to students fighting for the right to feel safe at school. Rights we fought for decades ago are being removed so the integrity of our political leaders and in fact our entire political structure is being questioned. It’s both frightening and intriguing watching to see what form of freedom emerges from this new chaos.
My piece titled The Border reflects my feelings toward the struggle for freedom and the hope that we will emerge a better universal community. There are bars, barriers and beings in the piece that depict despair and eventual breakthrough.
The process was a struggle because I didn’t know where this piece was going–then it took me to what it is. I’m intrigued by what people see when they view this piece—to some the bars are restrictive to others they are bans joining us together. To me it is the light that emerges from all struggle.