Political Protest In a Multi-dimensional Universe

 

Resist Fish!

My holiday card for 2025 is heavily influenced by the PBS series, The American Revolution, by Ken Burns, as well as awareness that we are living in a multidimensional universe, time itself is iffy, the coming year is the 250th anniversary of the founding of America, and we have no idea what is going on.

The Fish

This hand-stitched series, drawing on random remnants of my scraps, was done in an edition of 17. Each is completely unique in design, stitchery, button eyes, and backing.

Some of the fish

The back of each fish is hand-stamped with the legend, "Resist 250," using a vintage stamp kit and vegetable-based ink.

Some of the backs

The Card

The card below is self-explanatory (or as explained as this project is ever going to get). The card flips open vertically, and each card contains one of the fish inside, dangling from a slit at the top of the card that secures the line coming out of their mouth. Each card also contains a revolutionary handbill.

Card front

Copy from inside top

Copy from inside bottom

Handbill insert inside of card

Copy on back of handbill

Back of card

Happy holidays, viva la revolution, and god help us all.

A Perfectly Ambiguous Protest Pin

 

Recently my friend Chris, with whom I eat sushi every Tuesday, announced that he had come up with the perfect protest pin: a simple message that questions, "Had enough?" I was thrilled when he gave me permission to use the idea, and settled on the two most readable color schemes for signage — red and black for one, blue and yellow for the other.

To craft the pins I used my standby tin-can-lid method (full instructions for do-it-yourself tin-can pins can be found in my Tin Can Frames Tutorial).

However, in the process of wielding my needle nose pliers to craft a few prototypes, while my fingers were occupied my mind had time to wander far and wide. I realized that, while my intent in making these was firmly anti-Trump and anti-fascist, the exact same pin might perfectly express the sentiments of those convinced they need to make America great again. For that matter, the pin could also work for members of all 12-step groups, for abused wives, for those fed up with crime in our cities, and for those trying to curb climate change by reducing consumption. 

I had unwittingly created the perfectly ambiguous protest pin, suitable for expressing the utter dissatisfaction of most every American about something or other. What does it say about a nation when all of its citizens are completely fed up — but disparate groups are sick unto death of entirely different things? Who knows? Certainly not me; I'm just cranking out art.

Suitable for most any dissatisfaction.

If you would like to join the confused masses and let the world know that you, too, have totally had it, make a batch of perfectly ambiguous protest pins and pass them around. If nothing else they may spark conversation across our different world views, which would be an accomplishment in itself.

The How-To

Use the link for the Tin Can Frames Tutorial to learn how to make a pin from a tin can lid, and use the following link for a free downloadable pdf of the Had Enough Pin Template, which offers a template for making six pins.

Had Enough Pin Template

The Baby Boomer Manifesto

 From each according to his abilities. I was going to wait until the general protests for the fascist military parade on June 14, but democracy is falling faster than I would have believed possible. This is the best I can come up with at the moment. Share it around, download it, print it out, post flyers. 

Cover

Back

Inside mini-poster

If you would like to print out and pass around a bunch of these, a free downloadable pdf is available here: The Boomer Manifesto download.

Mourning in America

Click here for free, downloadable Mourning in America flyer. 

It is difficult to know how to respond to current events in America. As a child in the 1950s I was obsessed with the question of how the Germans - the nice, neighborhood, non-combatant, civilized, friendly Germans - could have let the Holocaust happen without doing anything to stop it. And now I find myself in the same situation, facing the same question. I am 77 years old, my lungs are too weak to allow me to participate in protest marches. So what does one do? One does what one can. Thus this participatory theater piece, which anyone from a toddler to an octogenarian ought to be able to pull off.

Wear black. That's it.

This idea was inspired by a friend, Pam O'Connell, who came up with the phrase, "mourning in America."

And we are in mourning — for the loss of our universities, our civil rights, our best and brightest immigrants, our constitution, our rule of law, our basic human decency.

Trump, among other misdeeds, is dismantling library and museum services, squelching any exhibits dealing with diversity or human rights, and demanding that cultural institutions in America focus on the anniversary of the founding of America on July 4, 2026. The celebration of America's 250th anniversary under the Trump regime looks likely to rival Hitler's most rabid, goose-stepping celebration of humanity at its absolute worst. What can one do?

Wear black. That's it.

Originally this piece was going to focus on wearing black on the dates of all key U.S. historical markers leading up to the grand debacle in 2026. The kickoff date, as shown above, is Paul Revere's ride on April 19. Other proposed dates included ratification of the Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclomation, the Civil Rights Act, the 19th Amendment, and so on. In the brief few weeks I've been working on this I've adapted the original idea to simply wearing black whenever the occasion warrants.

Wear black. That's it.

This is a nationwide, participatory theater piece. A clear signal to the rest of the world that not only are we against everything Trump is doing, we are deeply grieved about the state of our nation. We are in mourning.

Click here for generic Mourning in America flyer.

Note the addition of the idea of wearing an armband. This is potentially even more effective than simply wearing black, because mourning armbands have become an anachronism. They are an oddity in current times, and more likely to provoke questions and comments. Happily, they are available very cheaply and in bulk from your favorite online shopping sites.

Mourning armbands

My plan, when not wearing black, is to wear an armband and keep several spares with me to give away to others. So what can one do?

Wear black, that's it.

Jumpin' Trump: Pull the String and Watch Him Go!

 

Jumpin' Trump: who's pulling the strings?

This contemporary take on a diverting little Victorian pull-toy highlights the current president's white supremacist leanings and points to one of the key oligarchs pulling his strings. Take time out from the depressing prospect of the loss of democracy and our entry into a new dark ages complete anti-science, book burning, and oppression of women and minorities to make this entertaining jumping jack. Feel free to give out the pdf worksheet at marches and protests, and to hang the toy from tree limbs, lamp posts, and Tesla rearview mirrors.

A man who is easily manipulated

The pdf worksheet below is free, comes complete with instructions, and is downloadable. Click here to download.

Here is a preview of your worksheet:

Grab your scissors and give it a go.

Trump-o'-Rama: The Second Coming

 

Smashed Trump Cascarone

In preparation for this inauguration day, January 19, 2025, I have rounded up past work to create this Trump-o'-Rama full of fun-packed activities, fashion, and more to help you rage against the night.

Trump Cascarones

Click here for link.

This how-to comes complete with instructions and downloadable pdf to enable you to create these unique, confetti-filled egg shells for your funereal festivities. Go ahead, smash a Trump and feel bitterly better.  

Smash a Trump

Dialogue Pin for Troubled Times: Not My President

Click here for link.

These were a hot item the first time around, and the idea is to engage in dialogue with strangers about what is going on — even if their political beliefs differ from your own. I find it is helpful to carry a few extra pins with me so that when someone asks me about mine and we have a conversation, I am able to offer them one to carry on the dialogue with others. 

The "not my president" pin

Make Your Own Orange Man Voodoo Doll

Click here for link.

Don't miss this opportunity to create your own ugly little voodoo doll and stick it with pins. Two different varieties! This post offers a complete how-to with instructions and downloadable pdf. Come on, you know you want to.

Trump voodoo doll

Alternate voodoo doll

All the Rage: Voices Against Trump

Click here for link.

From the All the Rage fashion line, an upcycled shirt embroidered with quotes about Trump (none of them positive). Time to forage through thrift stores, wield your needles, and start stitching your own protest fashions.

The Voices Against Trump shirt

Bleeding Heart Liberal Pin

Click here for link.

Now is the perfect opportunity to break out your political jewelry and wear it with style. But first you have to make it. You will find easy, detailed instructions on how to create your own Bleeding Heart Liberal pins in this post.

Bleeding Heart Liberal pin

All the Rage: Trump Thaumatrope

Click here for link.

Here is a nifty little toy you can make in a few minutes and better yet, it comes on a postcard you can mail out to everyone you know. Give it a whirl. This post includes a downloadable pdf so you can launch your own toy business in a matter of minutes.

The Trump Thaumatrope - lock him up with the twirl of a string

All the Rage: Snowflake Shirt

Click here for link.

Yeah, you have feelings, you care about others, you believe in fairness and justice and civility. Admit it, you are a snowflake. Turn an intended insult into a badge of honor. Once again, you will need to wield your embroidery needles for the cause (think Betsy Ross). This simple black linen sleeveless top has been transformed into a bold and yet stylishly subtle walking billboard.

Shirt front

Closeup of front

Shirt back

All the Rage: Political Fashion

Click here for link.

This upcycled thrift store shirt is embellished with the seven words highlighted in a memo and follow-up meeting at the Centers for Disease Control under the last Trump regime, advising staff members not to use these words in any official documents prepared for the budget. Laurel and Hardy images are interspersed for comic relief. Again, the idea is to take your beliefs or ideas on the current state of affairs, transform them into fashion, and take it to the streets. Simple how-to instructions included.

Nasty Little Women's Wear: An Evolving Textile Piece

Click here for link.

This interactive piece was done for a gallery show. Participants could write their reactions to Trump's first term on scraps of cloth and safety-pin them to this hand-stitched dress for a 5-year-old child. The bodice of the dress is embellished with embroidered lines of the word, "not."

Nasty little women's wear

Going Forward 

Now, as we find ourselves on the brink of what many think may be the end of democracy, a new Dark Ages, or the collapse of civilization, we each need to follow our conscience and do what we can. In my case that means art, needlework, and installation pieces. What does it mean for you?

Bleeding Heart Liberal Pin

 

Wear it with pride

Sometimes all it takes is a few scraps of fabric that meet by happy accident on your craft table. That and a desire to send something lovely to an old college friend who occasionally sends me incredibly thoughtful little gifts in the mail every so often out of the blue. The fact that she has spent over fifty years pounding the streets of Manhattan as a foot soldier for social justice meant the rest of the project just created itself. And here you have it: The Bleeding Heart Liberal pin.

Front

Back

If you, too, would like a bleeding heart liberal pin, here is a quickie photo tutorial.

Draw a heart, transfer to cardboard

Cut out heart, glue felt to each side

Glue outer cloth to each side

Stitch all around, tight against cardboard. Trim. Overhand stitch around trimmed edge.

The final step is to sewa little “blood” on the front and stitch a pin clasp to the back. Now off to fight the good fight armed with empathy and compassion.

Become a Walking Billboard

 

In honor of RGB

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Here is a quickie upcycle project that took less than a day.

1. Start by finding a shirt with a suitable simple neck opening. Rummage through your closet and find something you last wore so long ago you’ve forgotten about it entirely. Cannibalize it!

I have no idea why this picture is sideways, but it’s the pandemic and I can’t deal with it. Tilt your head.

2. Figure out how wide you want your collar to be. Make a little paper measuring tool as a guide, and mark the shirt all the way around using pencil. My width was constrained by the original garment, and was 2.25 inches.

Measure and mark

3. Cut out the collar along your markings.

4. Find some lace. This is one of those my-stash-is-better-than-yours scenarios. I have a whole bag of cards of lace that I got for a song at a recycle place in Oakland called the Depot for Creative Reuse. In your case, consider cannibalizing something else from your wardrobe.

Find some lace

5. Stitch the lace to the collar and if you like, add some embroidery. I always pre-draw or letter onto a piece of paper first until I like it, and then transfer to cloth using carbon paper.

6. Find something to wear that is simple and black. Don your collar, and hit the streets. 

Voila! You are a walking billboard.

Get out the vote.