WORD:
THANKFUL
December was life-giving. It was a good time of holiday fun and rest. Taking inventory of the year is one of my favorite things, and it was nice to see how hard and absolutely fulfilling the year was. I am SO thankful to see 2018 come to an end, and am filled with energy for 2019. Living my solo life has its lonely moments, but being around my chicago fam was a good reminder that there are many people who are there for me and vice versa. I am also struck by the reality that I get to pursue art and things that really energize me - that is an incredible honor and is also birthed from many privileges. Thank you for supporting me, because you, my patrons have had a big part on making the hustle life less stressful. Thank you also for engaging with me and rooting me on!
#tiffanywongartmas:
31 art pieces for 31 days of december
This year was the 6th annual #tiffanywongartmas! Wow I can’t believe its been so many years. I REALLY loved doing it this year, because collage work was something I’ve always wanted to try - and it was fun to finally do it. For 2018, I decided to revisit the whole year starting from january and talk about what shaped me. So I went through the year and presented articles, people, events that gave me inspiration or energy to address social justice issues and my identity. Unlike other years, it didn’t feel as overwhelming and I enjoyed it probably the most this year. Here are some pieces from tiffanywongartmas.
VISUAL:
Articles:
My dad’s friendship with charles barkley
by shirley wang
My friend, Katie Norregard, forwarded this story to me. It made me cry, because it was so humanizing to this suburban asian dad. I never hear or read about a complex portrayal of asian dads - and he really reminds me of my dad! Please listen/read this story!
“Barkley’s friends couldn’t quite place him. He wasn’t a basketball player, he wasn’t a sports figure, and he wasn’t from Barkley’s hometown. Here’s what I can tell you about him: He wore striped, red polo shirts tucked into khaki shorts and got really excited about two-for-one deals. He was a commuter. He worked as a cat litter scientist in Muscatine, Iowa. In short, he was everyone’s suburban dad. More specifically, he was my dad.”
how the justice system failed cyntoia brown
By leah carroll
This kind of thing happens ALL the time to black and brown people especially women. It’s outrageous, and is WHY being actively anti-racism is important both individually and systematically!!
“On December 6, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that Cyntoia Brown, a woman convicted of first degree murder as a teen, would have to serve 51 years in prison before being eligible for parole. The decision disregards many factors including that Cyntoia Brown was solicited for sex by a 43-year-old man when she was only 16, the fact that both Tennessee and U.S. law has changed significantly when it comes to prosecuting minors since Brown’s first trial in 2006, and the outrage expressed by hundreds of thousands in a number of petitions protesting the egregious sentencing of an at-risk-child at the mercy of a series of a predatory men.”
podcast:
hoodrat to headwrap: a decolonized podcast
by ericka hart
I binged so many episodes from this podcast. I LOVE Ericka and Ebony…I have been following their instagram for awhile and adore them. This particular episode is excellent: “So we all on the same page in 2019: Gentrification is not normal.”
book:
Becoming
by michelle obama
This is a must read!! I fell in more in love with Michelle and Barack Obama. Such an intimate look inside their lives.
Week 50 of #TWmemorymondays:
In April, I listened to Oprah's interview with Dr. Maya Angelou, and I was OBSESSED with two things from that conversation. If you want to listen to it, look up Supersoul conversations podcast featuring Maya Angelou - it's in two parts. So I've read her work before and really love her poetry, but hearing her voice did something to me.
The first moment was listening to Oprah and Maya Angelou talking about courage. They were recalling this incident: Maya Angelou was hosting a party that Oprah was a guest at. From across the room, Maya Angelou heard a homophobic/racist comment from one of her guests. She stops the party, and asks the person to leave with their guest. Then, addresses the rest of the guests and said, "I will not allow it in my house." Maya continues talking about how powerful words are - it can be poison to demean a person to be less than human.
Oprah asks Maya, how do we stop those hateful comments? How does she get the courage? Maya explains that it doesn't just happen all of a sudden...you have to develop courage. She says that COURAGE is the most important virtue, because you can't practice any other virtue consistently without courage. So you practice courage in small ways, and you realize that you like yourself after it...so you do another small act of courage. Then over time you develop the kind of courage where you can stop a party and escort a person to leave your house.
OMG I probably repeated this story to myself a million times and then a million times to my friends. It gave me so much encouragement on having patience on practicing courage. Courage to speak up, because I believe in deep/true peace and not a shallow/superficial "peace." It makes me feel emotional even thinking about hope of becoming someone who practices my values as much as I intellectually am convinced of it.
The second moment is when Maya Angelou talks about how God LOVES her. Watch my instastories to hear that part of the podcast. In her old age, I could hear the softness of her heart, and it made me cry as I was walking home from the bus. My heart was bursting hearing her talk about God and God's expansive love that is big enough for all. I love the way she embodies courage, love, deep confidence, creativity, and zest for life. I will forever remember my experience of discovering my responsibility as a human through her voice. Lastly, here is a quote from her that I love dearly:
"My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are. To astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart."
.....
#TWmemorymondays: A painting inspired by a memory every Monday of 2018. Connecting abstract art to real life. Week 50/53. 'Dr. Maya Angelou' / 8x8 in / mixed media on paper
What is next?
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
Now that Memory Mondays has come to an end, my new 2019 weekly project is....
Drum rolllllll……..
.
#TWintersectionalfridays!!!!
Let me explain what it is. (First, watch my instastories for the background to my year long weekly projects.) The goal of intersectional Fridays is to explore the intersection of different identities (ways in which you or society classifies you as - in ways that influence the way you are viewed aka the way you move in the world). In addition to exploring the intersection, I will be addressing big picture systems of oppression and how it all links together.
The part where I'm REALLY excited about is using this project to highlight other people's stories. We aren't defined by the categories of identity, but learning about people who might be different from you could provide understanding and empathy - and provide energy to dismantle oppressive systems.
Logistics: every Friday of 2019, I will be sharing thoughts and stories about intersectionality. Then, I will create an abstract art piece inspired by it.
Project starts January 4, 2019!
