In anticipation of next month’s election, Craftland owner and artist Margaret Carleton will be hosting Desperate Times, Creative Measures, an exhibit featuring work by artists in direct response to the Trump presidency.
Desperate Times, Creative Measures is curated by Craftland owner and artist Margaret Carleton to call attention to the urgency of this election. “Craftland was founded to support the voices and livelihoods of individual artists,” said Carleton. “And those livelihoods, like so many others, are under threat. Our retail store in downtown Providence always features work about equity and justice, and I wanted to do something special to elevate artists who are commenting on this moment in our nation.”
This exhibit takes place in the pop-up location, kitty-corner from the Craftland store itself on Westminster Street. Following Saturday’s opening reception, the exhibit will be open from Wednesday through Sunday, 1pm to 7pm, through October 31.
Strict COVID-safe practices will be in place throughout the exhibition. No more than 18 people will be allowed in the space at one time, and all visitors will wear a mask at all times. Private showings for groups are available by appointment.
Throughout the show information on voting and voter registration will be available to visitors. Craftland’s retail store will be open across the street from the exhibition.
Artists include:
Printmaker Dan Wood, owner of DWRI Letterpress and creator of The Linotype Daily, a record of the everyday trauma of paying attention in 2019.
Kath Connolly whose greeting card company, Card Carrying Liberal, gained a national following during W’s second run for president, has been writing feminist and anti-Trump statements inside vintage tea cups for a project called The T.
Diana Weymar whose Tiny Pricks Project showcases Trump’s tweets embroidered onto cloth by people across the world. (This is her work seen here.)
The Social Justice Sewing Academy, based in California, has engaged young people in schools, prisons, and community centers across the United States to create quilts that address their lived experiences.
Opening reception, 5pm to 9pm, Saturday, October 3, ‘Desperate Times’ exhibit, 233 Westminster Street, (directions)