“I think it is healing behavior, to look at something so broken and see the possibility and wholeness in it.”
― Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds
Dear Friends,
We are summoning the light to counter these dark times and the uncertainty ahead. As always, we are listening to the wisdom of ancestors, mentors, and friends to help muster the infinite hope we need to keep going and build the world we want to live in. The following quote from the civil rights giant John Lewis is one I often return to (and share many times) when I am stumbling around in the dark. His encouragement to be the light is inspiring some new prints.
"You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone—any person or any force—dampen, dim or diminish your light. Study the path of others to make your way easier and more abundant. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. […] Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don't be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself." John Lewis, Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America
We are also working with less urgency and stress, fortifying ourselves, and moving towards cooperation, care, and shared abundance. How about you? Our work continues as we strive for more balance, presence, and energy for the folks we love and the world we want and need.
Another world is possible.
With gratitude,
Elizabeth & Sean
STUDIO NEWS
Prints for Dark Times: Working in the studio and making things by hand is a powerful antidote to despair. I have been busy creating some new editions I am calling Prints for Dark Times. The prints reference everything light, incorporating sunny colors, light beams, glowing orbs and rays to help us shine a light in the dark. You can find these prints on our website and at our studio storefront in downtown Waterville, Maine.
Plants in Your Path Workshop May 18: Join author Maggie Herskovits for a day of activities celebrating the plants in your path. Maggie will read excerpts from her new book, An Urban Field Guide to the Plants, Trees, and Herbs in Your Path. Then we will walk around Waterville to visit a diverse scene of urban habitats, with Maine Master Naturalist Serena Sanborn, and meet the plants that call the city home. We will discuss plant identification markers, history, geography, and fun facts about the ruderal ecosystem. Back inside, we will create one-page zines that tell the urban plants’ stories as they move through life from ‘Seed to Seed’. Hosted by Hinge Collaborative, Waterville Creates, and Colby Arts office. Tickets are $15. To reserve a spot, click here.
Silkscreen Monoprints June 22: Join Elizabeth at the Hinge Collaborative studio storefront in downtown Waterville to explore silkscreen monoprints. This direct and experimental process uses waterbased drawing media to create one of a kind prints. If you enjoy painting and drawing with watercolors, graphite and markers this is for you! This technique is adaptable to a home studio and you don’t need fancy printmaking equipment to continue working with the process after the workshop. Space is limited to six people to provide time and space for working. All materials included. Sign up here: https://www.hingecollaborative.com/store/p/silkscreen-monoprints-june-22-1-4pm
People of Print: Hinge Collaborative is thrilled to join the global community of printmakers and be showcased by the UK artist organization People of Print. Check out all the amazing work and features here: https://peopleofprint.com/
Educational Partnership Projects: I have been collaborating with students and faculty at Colby College and at Hall Elementary School in Waterville, Maine on several exciting projects.
Hall Elementary School Civil Rights Club: Fourth and fifth grade students are producing a series of silkscreen posters celebrating diversity in their school community. Students will hang their finbished prints in the school and distribute to community members.
The Garden of Trans Care: Colby Professor and artist AB Brown worked with their students and various community partners to create the Garden of Trans Care at Colby College. I had the pleasure of working with students to screen print on handmade seed paper for their installation. “The Garden of Trans Care is an interactive installation that looks at how queer and trans people have used plants as sources of sustenance, pleasure, community building, and self-determination. The installation will be activated in an evening of original performances devised by students that reflect on these themes and histories. Together we ask, how can we transform fear and pain into practices of care, knowledge, and celebration?” More information about the project: https://events.colby.edu/event/43100-garden-of-trans-care
Reproductive Justice: A Public Showcase May 9: Colby Professor Andrea Breau and her students have organized a community event in several downtown Waterville venues on Friday, May 9, between 2 and 6 p.m. including a film screening, interactive exhibitions, performances and screen printing at the Hinge Collaborative studio storefront form 4-6PM.
PS. We moved our newsletter to Substack. Please share widely and invite your folks to subscribe. Thank you, as always, for supporting our studio! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and visit us in Waterville!
https://www.hingecollaborative.com/