Hon Hyeol by Mina Fedor
Hon Hyeol means mixed blood in Korean and it’s the term used to describe someone who isn’t of full Korean descent. I identify more with my Korean heritage and others in America view me closer to that identity, mostly because I look Asian, although in Asia, I am not viewed as wholly Asian - I'm considered a mixed blood. I’m wearing a hanbok Korean dress to symbolize how “Korean” I feel on the inside, even though those in Korea view me as a half-blood. I am cutting my own hair and the multiples of me signify my multiple identities - all struggling to grow. The haircut symbolizes themes of change, growth, and growing up. Also, I’m cutting my own hair, symbolically cutting my ties to half of my identity.
This print is available for purchase for $20. Contact her directly: minafedor13@gmail.com
Stitched Back Together by Lauren Park
Up to one in four known pregnancies end in miscarriage. On Wednesday, February 19, 2020, my first pregnancy - a burst ectopic pregnancy, and a pregnancy unknown to me until that day - became one of them. In this piece, I ask that my story be seen and heard in the language of flowers. To feel sorrow at losing a piece of my body and to grieve and mourn the joyful first pregnancy I will never have - dark red roses, marigolds, and purple hyacinth. To remember my and my partner’s first child - rosemary and forget-me-nots. And to seek justice for others whose medical concerns have been overlooked and discounted because of their gender, resulting in near or actual loss of life, and for the pregnant people who now lack the access I had to life-saving reproductive healthcare - black-eyed susans. The medium, cotton hand embroidery with glass beading, is one I began during my recovery from surgery and continued as a comfort during the mandatory quarantine period of the Covid-19 pandemic beginning soon after. In a world where stigma and shame have forced reproductive health dangerously underground, I ask for those who need it to be seen, heard, and cared for.
Self Portrait with Leaf by Robin Dutrow
I clearly remember my mom, in her 50’s, saying she had become invisible. Now, about to turn 77, I fully comprehend her meaning. A fallen leaf on the sidewalk outside my house called to me. In this painting, I am saying, “I see YOU, even if you don’t see me.”
David by Robin Dutrow
David Hockney has been a hero of mine since I first encountered his swimming pool paintings 34 years ago; a gay man in his late 80s, he continues to evolve as an artist and refuses to NOT be seen.
Footprints by Noreen Linden
As a painter I am drawn to the everyday objects around me, and the way those objects exist in their own space. How the light catches them, how they cast shadows. Through my paintings I hope to give these objects a life of their own beyond their functionality, or their temporary nature. Some objects, such as the tennis shoes in this painting, represent personal memories, a piece of the past. My daughter’s old worn out sneakers express part of her identity as a teenager, and my identity as a mother. Their utility is long past, but now they now continue to live on in my art.
"Bitte, Sei Vorsichtig" and Unhinged by Alice Armstrong
Both works were created during a very difficult period of time for me having just lost my last 2 sisters within 2 months of one another. The beauty and wildness I was trying to depict was to express my love for them, as well as the barbed wire as my struggle not to blame myself for feeling emotional pain.
“Bitte, Sei Vorsichtig” may be purchased for $800. Contact the artist directly at aarmstrong9@yahoo.com.