Tag: ACLU

Recent Random But Good Acts

Let Us Breathe, Ann Baldwin May

Recent Random But Good Acts demonstated how divergent parts of one’s life can come together and make sense.

Recent Random But Good Acts

Shelter in Place

During the recent Shelter in Place, I was horrified,like many Americans, to see the murder of George Floyd. How to process forward from such a horrific event! Not an easy task! How to even begin  distilling my views? Yet I felt compelled to create something.  A decade had passed since I had created political quilts. It had been so long. I hadn’t even remembered that I had made them.

Finally, I created an art quilt with two black  figures, a man and a woman dressed in African fabrics, appliqued on a variety of skin toned fabrics in the background. Red and blue hearts on their chests represented the love the black people have this country in spite of the fact that the love is not always returned.

We Are the Story,Recent Random But Good Acts
Let Us Breathe, Ann Baldwin May,2020
We are the Story,Recent Random But Good Acts
We are the Story , art quilt show venues.

In the past several years, I had refrained from entering national shows. My focus became local. I choose to show at the juried county Open Studios, local shows and First Friday Art Tour.These events have all been cancelled . When I saw a call for entry, Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist, I considered entering. Yet, I hestitated. My piece is subtle. Maybe it it time for black artists to shine and take the spotlight. Then I remembered the slogan, White Silence is Violence. I needed to enter the show to show my support to the issue. This slogan rang true to me because that is exactly the way I feel about good men  who are not vocal enough about women’s rights. So I entered my piece and was accepted.

Dr. Carolyn Mazlotti, curator

Dr. Carolyn Mazlotti, founder of Women of Color Quilters Network, is the curator. I had heard her speak  at a Studio Art Quilt Associates(SAQA) conference several years before. She has done an incredible of curating and promoting  the show. There will be seven or more venues. However  at the time of my acceptance, many were still being arranged. So I was not made aware of the venues at all. That was not a problem for me as I sent my art quilt off. But it set the stage for the random event.

wild fires

Plans for the show in Minneapolis continued while wild fires raged in  California. Many fires started due to a spectacular lightening storm  with lightening strikes hitting dry foliage.  Unfortunately, one large fire was nearby in my county. The large property adjacent to my house was on mandatory evacuation. Firefighters were in short supply due to the overwhelming number of fires through the state. Another lightening storm was predicted in several days.  We moved special items to my studio located in a safe spot, downtown. I self evacuated myself to a friend’s house 12 miles away.   Luckily, more firefighters arrived and the forecasted lightening storm was uneventful. In general, the weather cooperated. I returned home after the second storm passed over us. Even though we  were all fine, it  took a week to readjust and recover from the disorientation.

Random Act #1

It was during that first week back home that the first random event happened. I received an email from an old friend, Heidi. She included a photo of my artwork in a Swedish newsletter. What? How did she get my art? How did my art get into a Swedish Newsletter? Heidi and I went to high school together. We had reconnected at a previous high school reunion. As far as I knew she was not Swedish. She graciously slugmailed me Posten,the newsletter of the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Then the random pieces fell together.

We Are The Story
Announcement in Posten,the newsletter of the American Swedish Institute.
Random Act #2

Heidi had previously worked at the American Swedish Institute so she was on their newsletter mailing list. She informed me that in fact she was half Swedish and half Finnish.The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis is the site of the first venue of the shows. My art quilt was the photo chosen to advertise the new show.

Random Act #3

The newsletter had chosen my art quilt out of many. That is random.

Random Act #4

Then they printed my name along side of the quilt. This doesn’t often happen. If the name had not been prominently shown, my friend wouldn’t have even suspected that it was my art.

As an aside the Textile Center of Minneapolis is one of the major sponsers of this show. The Textile Center’s gift shop was one of the first places outside of my local area that I had shown my work. Unfortunately, it was during the Great Depression of 2006-08. The Textile Center will be final venue of the show in June,2021.

In conclusion, if my friend had not worked at the Swedish Institute, she would not have received the newsletter. If the Institute had not placed my name center stage and very visible, my friend might not have noticed it. So it was with much relief  that I finally undertood how the different parts of my life had  come together recently through rather random connections.

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Black Lives Matter and Art

First of all,We Are the Story represents Black Lives Matter and Art. For example,this is a multi-site initiative of quilt exhibitions.   Above all,Dr.Carolyn Mazloomi worked tirelessly to curate these shows. Furthermore,much thanks to the Textile Center & Women of Color Quilters Network for their ongoing support.

Black Lives Matter and Art

Barbara Eady, “Black Lives Matter” – WCQN exhibit “We Who Believe in Freedom”

September 2, 2020 update from the Textile Center of Minneapolis, MN.

First,Textile Center and Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN) announced extending the schedule for We Are the Story. To clarify, this seven quilt exhibitions is curated by Carolyn Mazloomi, September 10, 2020 through June 12, 2021.

Black Lives Matter and Art
We are the Story, art quilt show venues.

Group and Solo Exhibitions

Above all,group and solo exhibitions build upon symbols of liberation, resistance and empowerment.Similarly,they  offer visually compelling accounts of the experiences and struggles of Black history.

During this year,Minneapolis became the epicenter of the nationwide protest movement against police brutality in America following the murder of George Floyd.The Textile Center and Women of Color Quilters Network (WCQN) joined forces to create We Are the Story, a multi-venue initiative in the Twin Cities, September 10, 2020, through June 12, 2021.  

Dr.Carolyn Mazloomi, a member of Textile Center’s National Artist Advisory Council is the curator. Previously,she founded the Women of Color Quilters Network. After that,We Are the Story opened in September with exhibitions at Textile Center and the American Swedish Institute.  

We are the Story

Black Lives Matter and Art

Due to challenges related to the pandemic, Textile Center  extended the timeline for We Are the Story into June 2021. That is to say this will ensure that the quilts can be seen in person by as many people as possible.  Furthermore,the exhibition will coincide with the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.  

Two Juried Exhibitions

To clarify,Gone but Never Forgotten: Remembering Those Lost to Police Brutality and Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist serve as a centerpiece for We Are the Story. Likewise, given the urgency of these issues in America, quilters from around the nation worked quickly. For instance,the calls were open in mid-June to all artists regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, race, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity in mid-June. In short,four hundred and twenty three quilts were submitted by the July 31 deadline. Mazloomi selected 89 quilts for the two exhibitions.

Dr.Carolyn Mazloomi

The First Venue

As part of We Are the Story, the American Swedish Institute  presented the Minnesota premiere of Women of Color Quilt Network’s We Who Believe in Freedom. From September 10 through November 1, 2020. In addition,to honor the 55th anniversary of the Freedom Riders, We Who Believe in Freedom represents works by members of Women of Color Quilt Network. 

We Are the Story also includes four solo exhibitions. 

First, I Wish I Knew How it Feels to be Free
Quilts by Dorothy Burge, Chicago, IL  presented at Textile Center 
Sacred Invocations Quilts by Sylvia Hernandez, Brooklyn, NY
The Protest Series Quilts by Penny Mateer, Pittsburgh, PA
Freedom Rising:  I Am the Story Quilts by L’Merchie Frazier, Boston, MA.

 Organizations taking part include

1.The University of Minnesota’s Weisman Art Museum, Division of Indian Work in South Minneapolis

2.The University of Minnesota’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center in North Minneapolis

3. Homewood Studios in North Minneapolis, Studio 106 in Burnsville

4.St. Catherine University’s Apparel, Merchandising and Design Gallery.  

A series of Zoom Talks

In addition, a series of Zoom talks happened.They included We Are the Story: Let’s Talk about Race presented by Textile Center, Women of Color Quilt Network and Friends. Furthermore,these Zoom presentations  focused on issues of police brutality, racism, and inequities in America. Clearly in support of Black Lives Matter. Lastly,they will also introduce the more than 100 quilters featured in these exhibitions. The Zoom talks will be open to the public. 

WE ARE THE STORY CALENDAR OF
SCHEDULED EXHIBITIONS

Black Lives Matter and Art

Gone but Never Forgotten: Remembering Those Lost to Police Brutality

Textile Center, Joan Mondale Gallery 
September 15 – December 24, 2020 

To be clear,Gone but Never Forgotten: Remembering Those Lost to Police Brutality is a national juried exhibition.For example,it showcases 26 quilts that honor those whose lives were violently. On the other hand,it critiques the targeting and criminalization of Black bodies throughout history. 

Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist

Textile Center, Joan Mondale Gallery, Mary Giles Gallery, Community Gallery 
March 26 – June 12, 2021 

Clearly,this international juried exhibition, Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist builds on these narratives. For example by featuring 63 quilts they share the stories of resistance and fortitude. To be clear these stories aret integral to the survival of Black people in America. During this time, quilts from the other We Are the Story exhibitions are  to be exhibited.Clearly a community-wide outreach initiative will provide an opportunity for our community to have one last comprehensive viewing.It is planned  as our community observes the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death.  

We Who Believe in Freedom
Quilts by members of WCQN

American Swedish Institute, Osher Gallery 
September 10 – November 1, 2020 

We Who Believe in Freedom presented in 2016 to honor the 55th anniversary of the Freedom Riders. For example,it represents works by members of WCQN that tell the story of the African American experience. 

I Wish I Knew How it Feels to be Free Quilts by Dorothy Burge, Chicago, IL 

Textile Center, Community Gallery
September 29 – December 24, 2020 

Similarly,Dorothy Burge, a member of WCQN, is a multimedia artist and community activist. To be clear,she is inspired by both historic and current social justice issues. For example,she is one of the strongest voices in Chicago for police accountability and reparations for survivors of police torture. Dorothy will be a featured guest in our Zoom Let’s Talk About Race conversations.  

We Are the Story
Quilts by Penny Mateer, Pittsburgh, PA 

Weisman Art Museum
October 15 – March 14, 2021

Likewise,Penny Mateer is an artist/activist who works with textiles and recycled materials.  Clearly,quilting and embroidery take center stage in her work. Consistently she draws from this rich history of creating functional objects that provide warmth and comfort.  Moreover,fabric is her primary material to establish a shared experience.  After that,discussion sparks around current events. In addition,her social practice centers on a community-made public art project to promote voting. 

Freedom Rising: I Am the Story
Quilts by L’Merchie Frazier, Boston, MA 

Clearly,L’Merchie Frazier is a public fiber artist, quilter, historian, innovator, poet and holographer. Furthermore,she has served the artistic community nationally and internationallyfor more than 25 years.In addition,she has had visual and performance art residencies in Boston, Brazil, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Africa, France, and Cuba.  In other words,her social justice artistic work activates youth. Above all,her work with adults involves a model that levels the playing field.

Sacred Invocations
Quilts by Sylvia Hernandez, Brooklyn, NY 

Lastly,Sylvia Hernandez is a celebrated and self-taught master quilter. She creates timeless, handcrafted works that address community and human right issues. Sylvia is currently the president of the Quilters of Color Network of NYC, co-president of the Brooklyn Quilters Guild. Currently  a member of the WCQN,she teaches at El Puente Academy of Peace and Justice. She has worked with AgitArte  in Puerto Rico. 

Thanks for your support:

The Lasting Power of the ACLU on my Father

Norman Baldwin

 

American Civil Liberties Union -ACLU and my Father

The American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU) helped my father. It was founded in 1920 by a group of forward thinkers to protect the individual’s rights guarenteed by the Constitution. Roger Baldwin was one of those people.

My father, Norman B. Levy was born that same year in New York State. He was the first born of Russian immigrants. I had grown up hearing that Norman had changed his name to Baldwin in order to get  into college.  I knew that Roger Baldwin and he had some kind of a relationship. What that relationship was, remained unclear to me.

Norman Baldwin ,ACLU and my Father
Norman Baldwin formerly Norman B. Levy

A Life Well Lived

Sadly,my father passed in 2015 after a long life of  success built on his educational opportunities. As for many of his generation,World War II interrupted his life. He had  graduated from college before the war.  My parents married before he shipped out for the South Seas. Upon return, he attended Stanford Business School on the G.I Bill. Then my parents settled in Palo Alto. They raised their family there while my father developed his real estate business.

How my Father came to Change his Name

A number of years ago, I finally asked my father exactly how it came to be that he changed his name. The details were  not clear as to  when the name change had exactly happened.

This is what my father told me. He was about 90 at the time. Thank goodness he had lived long enough for me to finally ask him.

At about age 18, Norman applied to the University of Rochester in New York. My father had always been a great student. He had skipped two grades. Skipping grades was common in those days. His Aunt Minnie had said that he could live with her in Rochester. But  that school didn’t accept my father.

Disappointed, Norman asked Roger Baldwin why he thought he hadn’t  gotten in. Roger said, ”Maybe it was because of your name, Levy.” There was a quota for Jews at that time at the universities. Like any 18 year old, Norman said,” Well, okay then I’ll change my name. What name should I take?” He asked Roger. Roger answered, “Any name. ” “Okay, then I’ll take your name, Baldwin” and he did.

Roger Baldwin and My Father

I had always heard that Norman and Roger Baldwin knew each other.  When my father passed, I found quite a few letters that proved the friendship. The letters were only onesided of course, only being from Roger. However, it was clear that they knew each other quite well. They had great respect for each other.

Moreover, Roger  seemed to have access to money that could be made available for scholastic purposes. He encouraged my father to take advantage of these funds. Roger seemed quite warm and free with his compliments of my father. Roger Baldwin visited our home about 1954.

Our Past was not Shared

I was the second child born, a baby boomer in 1950. Our family was not religious at all. My parents never spoke of their childhoods. As a  teenager, when I asked about our family history. Where we had come from? The answer was usually, “Why do you want to know about that? It was not a good place. “

Yet, my father knew Yiddish and Hebrew. My mother always wrote to my grandfather in Yiddish even though he DID speak English fairly well. Now I realize that my experience is not that unusual for children of immigrants and that  the parents were trying to protect us in the conformist 1950s.

The Unitarian Church

When I asked about church and religion, my father took me to the Unitarian Church. In junior high and high school,I was very active in their youth groups. I became a junior member. Much later I  was married by a Unitarian minister. My uncle and his family were fairly religious. They went to the Jewish temple.

However,I had never understood where the Unitarian connection had come from.Yet, when I recently googled Roger Baldwin, it said that he was a Unitarian. That made sense. Just another way in which Roger Baldwin had postively influenced my father and my family.

The Rest of the Story

Instead of attending the University of Rochester, Norman went to Albany State Teachers College later renamed New York State University at Albany. That was where he met my mother, Louise. They shared 60 years together. So it all turned out fine.  And of course, Norman and Louise named their son after Roger.

Although Roger Baldwin is not a blood relative, I feel that he is still part of my family. The ACLU and founding member,Roger Baldwin has a lasting affect on my Father and his family.

https://www.aclu.org/

https://annbaldwinmayartquilts.com/2020/07/political-quilts2008-2014/

The ACLU supporting civil right and changing lives for over 100 years.

Black Lives Matter. We are in this together.

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