Bringing Awareness of MMIW (Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women)

At the end of January, I attended an opening for an Art Exhibit at UW Whitewater's Crossman Gallery, called, "Stolen Sisters".  The art featured was meant to bring awareness of MMIW  (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women).
 Thousands upon thousands women and girls have gone missing for years, some found murdered, some still not found after years and years of searching.
Law enforcement, journalists, and activists in Indigenous communities - in both the US and Canada - have fought to bring awareness to this connection between sex trafficking, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and the women who go missing and turn up murdered.
Indigenous women and girls are being taken in an alarming way.  Native American women are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than other ethnicities and it's the third leading cause of death for them (Centers for Disease Control).  The majority of these murders are committed by non-Native people on Native-owned land. Because of the lack of communication between state, local, and tribal law enforcement, it's difficult to begin the investigation process.  Many times when Indigenous women and girls go missing, or when Indigenous murder victims are unidentified, forensic evidence has not been accurately collected or preserved by local law enforcement. Cases have been allowed to quickly go "cold", and crucial evidence has been "lost", or never forwarded on from local law enforcement to the appropriate agencies.

The red hand over her mouth 
symbolizes the inability of many victims 
to speak for themselves

According to the National Crime Information Center, 5,712 American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls were reported missing in 2016 alone, but only 116 of those cases were logged with the Department of Justice. Violence against Native American women is much less likely to be reported or prosecuted than violence against non-Native women.

Beginnings, on the workbench

My Shadow Box assemblage installation is also meant to bring awareness of what is an almost invisible epidemic, and hopefully helping to make Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls visible!
This assemblage will be featured at the Art as Prayer Show at Christ Episcopal Church, Delavan, WI, March 18 - 22, 2020.

Making Crowns for my Santos Angel

I used some small lampshades, turned upside down to make a couple of crowns for my Santos Angel (see previous post of the renovations on the angel)  I found a decorative wire bowl, and cut it apart, along with jewelry parts and odds and ends... I love how they turned out!

I like the crown with the turquoise colored stone in it best for this Santos Angel.  I'll have to find another one for the other crown!

And the reason I made crowns for my Santos Angel is also found in the Book of Revelation 4:9-11,  "And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Beautiful!

Santos Angel Renovation

Adding wings to eyes to add to wings

The Santos as purchased

I purchased this awesome Santos Angel at a local craft/antique mall.  It is a reproduction, but I loved it, and knew I wanted to do more to it as soon as I saw it!  So following are photos of when I first brought it home, and some of the things I've done to renovate it more.  I will be adding more things to the skirt as time goes on... stay tuned!

Partially done enhancing the wings,
with winged eyeballs, and moss, bark,
and small stones.

Added some rosaries.

The reason I added eyes to the wings comes from a scripture verse from

Added part of a
stained glass piece with
a peacock feather embedded
inside it, as a breastplate.
And a keyhole to the skirt.

the Book of Revelation 4:6-8, "Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.  And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,

“Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”

2020 Art As Prayer Show - Call to Artists

Calling all artists, of all ages, all mediums ... check out the info, and contact me for more details!

Another Bailey Family assemblage...

For sale at Gallery 223, Lake Geneva... another Bailey Family with serving tray.  A unique gift good for any occasion!

Mr. and Mrs. Bailey with Serving Tray

Had fun making another Bailey Family project that I sold at Gallery 223 in Lake Geneva.

Spirit in the Sky

Back of the assemblage.

This was an assemblage I made for the Winter Art Show/Sale at Gallery 223, Lake Geneva, WI.

I brought it in on Monday, November 18th, and it sold within 3 hours!

It is meant to sit on a table or shelf, which is the reason for the back design on it, it stabilizes more so it won't tip over.