Posted by in out of the proverbial rectangular prism What is this holiday, Thanksgiving? Listening to Indigenous people tell their history, I wonder why so much US history is presented as a fairytale to white children. What preschool, kindergarten, or primary grade school doesn’t paint over the realities of cultural decimation and exploitation with a white wash of supremacist benevolence that invited some fabled…Read more »
Posted by in out of the proverbial rectangular prism What makes silence so powerful? Why do we find it more comfortable to stay quiet? Most importantly, why is our comfort the goal? Racial acculturation divides and then subjugates those we deem as others. Further, this acculturation separates us from the problem of racism by denying our perpetuating culpability. Silence is the weapon we were…Read more »
Posted by in out of the proverbial rectangular prism This post is intended as a glimpse into dismantling white supremacy acculturation, and the discomfort that process requires. If the term white supremacy is reserved for those individuals and groups who display repulsive racist views, what term is used to identify the effects of white supremacy acculturation on the rest of us? Why do we…Read more »
Posted by in out of the proverbial rectangular prism I wrote this post in the hope that my experience may strike a chord with other white people who are working to dismantle their own racist acculturation. That it happened, goes without saying; how exactly it happened is what I’ve been trying to unpack for quite a while. Here, I’m going to relate two facets…Read more »
Posted by in out of the proverbial rectangular prism She said not to turn away, when we became uncomfortable. The work will make us feel that way. I agreed. I’d heard and understood that message over a decade ago, at a UPenn workshop. I watched folks turn away then, when the work became difficult- when it challenged us to think about who we are.…Read more »
Posted by in out of the proverbial rectangular prism Being the grandmother of three black boys – who will soon become three black men – has changed me. Racial injustice is no longer a discussion or research topic; it now defines my anti racist role, so that my grandsons will be safe and respected by society.I’ve been evolving just as my understanding of what…Read more »
Posted by in clay, pottery, wheel throwing The perfect cylinder escaped his hands, then tumbled around until he slowed the potter’s wheel. It happens sometimes, when trimming the bottom of a pot; the slightest misstep with a tool can result in what seems like utter disaster. The clay had challenged the artisan and threw his expectations off the wheel. He assessed the…Read more »
Posted by in Craft fair Prep, kiln, wheel throwing I’ve never subscribed to the adage that things happen for a reason. I endorse more of a things happen … and then you do other things. The difference lies in passive versus active involvement in those happening things. Case in point: eight days before the Bethlehem VegFest 2018, with two more glaze firings needed, my kiln failed.…Read more »
Posted by in pottery My pottery studio has evolved from amassing supplies, tools, and equipment. A friend recently Instagram-shared her Guatemala visit showing a potter making pots with corncobs for surface texture, and found objects to trim the ware. Here, in Southeastern Pennsylvania, my pottery making appears to support a vast retail industry. My usual go-to is The…Read more »
Posted by in Craft fair Prep, pottery, wheel throwing The kiln has been firing with extreme regularity, prepping for the 2018 Bethlehem VegFest. With less than a month to go, I’m still adding to bins full pottery that will be for sale at the kathystoneware booth. Saturday, July 14, 2018 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM EST at Daniel Rice Memorial Field 100 W. Lehigh Street …Read more »
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