On April 5, 2008, new friends Kim and Ida hosted a POWERSTITCH at their home, a grand compound in East Oakland. We quilted for an afternoon amongst the succulents and pear trees. Their neighbors came out and joined us for the day: Mark Thomas, a renowned textile artist, and Rebecca who read to us from TRUST, a guide to hand-balling (our selection) and poet laureate Charles Simic (her's).
All photos by Chris Vargas, local host and California brother.
This Saturday I'll be hosting a quilting forum as part of Summer School at PS 122.
come sew and bring your new favorite poetry or feminist mystical texts to read aloud
Summer School is a temporary school that offers
lectures, workshops and performances led by artists.
Free and open to the public, Summer School playfully
adapts educational strategies to transmit alternative
knowledge. Events will run from June 2-24. All events
at PS122 Gallery.
SATURDAY June 9
12:00-4:00pm
Ginger Brooks Takahashi “An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail”
A open “quilting bee” to continue a quilt that has
been in progress for two years. The end product of
this workshop is not the quilt itself, but rather the
process —the informal gatherings and invaluable dialog
between friends and strangers.
4:30-7:00pm
Jonah Bokaer “A Moving Body in the Built Domain”
A lecture/demo on the applications of digital media
towards organizing movements for the human body. This
screenprinted poster, 18"x24", 2004
text "an army of lovers cannot fail" from early gay liberation poster
printed at Space 1026, Philadelphia
In November 2004, I initiated “AN ARMY OF LOVERS CANNOT FAIL,” an on-going series of quilting forums organized in homes, galleries, gardens and other public settings. I see the history of family and community quilting as harnessing possibly the foremost political activities: community-building and dialog, creating a sense of belonging for those who participate. The quilting forums are symbolic of the same ideals upheld by my own queer community. While redefining these traditions, “AN ARMY OF LOVERS CANNOT FAIL” brings the spirit of this shared experience to an extended community.
Also considering historically outdated modes of production, this quilt has been in progress for over two years, and will require at least one more year to completion. Thankfully, the end product is not the piece, but rather the process—the informal gatherings and invaluable dialog between friends and strangers.
