January 2024 Updates

Duluth, 2022

Hello friends & supporters,

My draft has been titled January 2024 Newsletter, and I’m getting it in just under the wire! Hooray! I have quite a few things to share this month, several works in progress, and updates with my store and offerings.

It has been over 100 days that the people of Gaza have been under siege, unbelievable numbers of people have been killed and injured by the occupying forces of Israel. Gaza is on my mind every single day, and I refuse to ignore the genocide that is funded and supported by our government. There are many resources in my previous December newsletter if you are still looking for ways to support. And hurray for Minneapolis for passing a veto-proof ceasefire resolution written by my former council member Jason Chavez! St. Paul - you’re up! If you would like to read more about how and why my most recent work POrTaLs (about living with Long Covid) includes a call to Free Palestine, I wrote about it on my blog (and on instagram). 

Currents Exhibition

Come join myself and curator Drew Maude-Griffen at our open house on Saturday, February 3 from 1-3pm. At 1:30pm, Drew and I will have a discussion about the work. Register here.
Some access notes:
1. The open house will have masks required and provided. 
2. The open house is a fragrance free space.
3. Regarding air circulation: "The M’s HVAC system uses MERV13 filters, the highest-rated filter available. MERV13 filters are 90% to 98% minimum efficient at capturing particles. The air exchange rate is roughly 3/4 per hour, which is to say that in an hour roughly 3/4 of the air gets replaced with new air."
4. Seating will be available. 
I am hopeful that I will be feeling up for being there, participating in the panel discussion, and seeing you there!
The Currents exhibition continues through February 25, 2024.

New Cat Prints...and more!

My new webstore has been keeping me busy. Thank you to everyone who has supported me with purchases or shared my store on your socials. I finished a few more abolitionist cat paintings at the end of the year, and they are now in the store. I am currently working on new cat paintings with messages that remind us to rest more, aka anti-capitalist cats. I've also been dreaming about how to include t-shirts and other apparel...Stay tuned!
Also, I am working on new ceramic necklaces. The ceramic studio in the artist lofts I live in has *finally* been upgraded and our kilns are fixed! So I will be offering new necklaces soon. But I need to purchase kiln posts in order to finish firing them, so please buy one of the listed necklaces (or anything else!) so I can get the new ones going. I hope to be able to offer necklace commissions soon.

New Class Coming Soon!

Long Covid has made teaching impossible for the past year, which has had a huge impact on my income and is also deeply disappointing. I love teaching! I always learn so much from my students. It really feeds my soul. But I have a new idea that I could possibly continue teaching by creating asynchronous offerings. That way, I can incorporate the rest that I need as I create and deliver the curricula, as well as preserve my cognitive and physical energy by not also facilitating large-group meetings (despite the rush it used to give me, it’s a massive energy suck now, and I can barely last 5 min in that kind of setting - and I have found this out the hard way). So - if you are interested in helping me decide what kind of teaching offerings to create, please take this quick survey! No obligation to take or purchase the future classes, but I would love to know what skills either you want to learn or you think other folks might be interested in as well.

Long Covid Update

I’m working on some new writing, and I’m hopeful to collect my thoughts and experiences over the last 18+ months living with Long Covid to share with others. I am planning to publish them in pieces here on my blog as well as in a self-published ‘zine that will also include some of the artworks I have been creating. In particular, I want to share my story for others who may be wondering if they, too, are experiencing Long Covid. I want to share the treatments I have sought out (so many!) and what has worked for me and what has not. I am hopeful that it will be of some usefulness to others. I’ll be linking to these blogs in upcoming newsletters, so that you can read them if you are interested. Remember that there is no test for Long Covid, no approved treatments/cures, and little clarity on who is more at risk (over 1/3 of people with LC have no identifying risk conditions). As Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly said at the recent Senate hearing on Long Covid on January 18, 2024: "The best way to prevent Long Covid is to prevent Covid-19."
 
Take care of yourself and your loved ones.
In love and solidarity,
Kelley