"tis the season for reflect and enjoyment ...

“December is a time to reflect on the past year’s blessings & embrace the opportunities of the coming one.”

— Oprah Winfrey

for your personal enjoyment …

wishing all peace and love during this season

“Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” ALA →

““Reading can be a road to freedom or a key to a secret garden, which, if tended, will transform all of life.” ”

— Katherine Paterson

In this collage I’ve included an “I Read Banned Books” bookmark alongside 2 covers of books that have been challenged - Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderlands and Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Along with the quote from Katherine Paterson, 

Katherine Paterson, is an American writer best known for her children's novels.  Her book, Bridge to Terabithia, won the Newbery Medal in 1978 as well as been on the top 100 banned/challenged books since it's publication in October 1977.

I feel strongly that any form of censorship undermines the very fabric of our Constitution and the safe, imaginative space that creativity depends on. Right now, as our freedoms face increasing threats, this issue feels especially urgent.

Once Upon a Time

In fact, the Natick Public Library invited me to create an installation for their October programming on banned books. The piece, Once Upon a Time, is participatory: visitors are invited to write the title of a banned book they have read, want to read, or want to reread on a tag, which is then added to the work. These tags are attached to a cape made of safety pins and beads that drapes over a tunic constructed from book covers—just a fraction of the many titles that have been challenged or banned in the U.S. Together, the piece grows as a communal celebration of literature, resilience, and freedom.

This year Banned Books Week is October 5 – 11, 2025 and the theme is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.”  Many libraries and organizations celebrate the right to readfor the entire month.  

With the escalation in attempts to ban books in libraries, schools, and bookstores around the country, George Orwell’s cautionary tale "1984" serves a prescient warning about the dangers of censorship. This year’s theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights. https://www.ala.org/bbooks/banned

do what you love!!! always ...

Trust in what you love, continue to do it,

and it will take you where you need to go.

Natalie Goldberg

This month let's stand up to bullies, and sew ...

“Americans, at our best, stand up to bullies and fight those who seek to demean and degrade others.”

— Cory Booker

This month's #virginiacreates calendar reflects my renewed interest in embroidery.  During these unnerving times in our country I have felt a strong pull to my needles and thread.  I feel there are many reasons why I feel this need to stitch.  Sewing suggests mending, pulling pieces together that have been torn apart.  I feel that our country is being torn apart.

“The act of sewing is a process of emotional repair. ”

— Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois used sewing in much of her work. She has eloquently explained what sewing meant to her and her work. Many of her words speak to my current obsession with sewing so I have sprinkled some of her quotes throughout this post.

“I always had the fear of being separated and abandoned. The sewing is my attempt to keep things together and make things whole. ”

— Louise Bourgeois

These past months I have found myself embroidering on both fabric and paper.  

I have been embroidering affirmations onto a vintage slip as part of my 'slip' series.

collage from Italy ..

And while I was on retreat in San Gimignano I created a series of mixed media collages that all contained some sewn/embroidered element.

“When I was growing up all the women in my house used needles. I have always had a fascination with the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair the damage. ”

— Louise Bourgeois

And in my current series, a protest to what I feel is censorship

by the current

administration, I am embroidering on vintage photos words that are being removed and discouraged by the government. 

There are around 196 words on that list.  Unfortunately as I do more researching there seems to be more removed words in different government agencies, so I am not sure how many photos I will be embroidering.

The initial list that I am working from is from an article reposted by the New York Times, March 7, 2025.

These Words Are Disappearing

 in the New Trump Administration

"As President Trump seeks to purge the federal government of “woke” initiatives, agencies have flagged hundreds of words to limit or avoid, according to a compilation of government documents."

Look at the little things ...

“Find magic in the little things, and the big things you always expected will start to show up.”

― Isa Zapata

Your #virginiacreates May calendar is coming to you a bit late because I was on an artist's retreat in San Gimignano, Italy and, blessedly, I had little WiFi.  The retreat was run by Michael Dowling of Spoke, www.spokeart.org, an amazing organization that I highly recommend you look at the work that they do!!! 

This month's #virginiacreates calendar is featuring one of the collages that I made during my retreat.  Inspired by a story that Michael shared on our first morning.  He spoke about a woman who was committed to an asylum and who collected stuff out of the trash to embroider and to create with.  The asylum staff saw this habit of going through the trash as proof of her mental sickness and medicated her.  This story broke my heart on so many levels.   I am a woman who has used trash and debris in much of her work - from an international business of making jewelry out of used bottle caps to a room sized installation centered around a n 8 foot dress sculpture made out of used eggshells. 

for your personal enjoyment …

So on my first day of retreat,  I wondered the magical streets of this medieval town with Michael's story replaying in my head.  Soon my attention was drawn to a discarded museum ticket and this series began.  Below are some more of these collages.  Most are created on 4x6 watercolor paper, though as the series progressed I was just working with my found treasures, creating unique art objects.

peace

Love our earth ...

“When we love the earth, 

we are able to love ourselves more fully.”

 Bell Hooks, Belonging: A Culture of Place

Let's make the impossible, possible

““Imagination is not bound by possibilities. The creative mind will always break the shackles—making the impossible, possible.”

”

— C. Toni Graham

‘David, nobody cares …’

February 9, 2025

On January 20th, 2025 I started a series of collages as a way of creating some calm during the coming insanity.

'Tis the month to LOVE!!

“We love because it's the only true adventure.”

Nikki Giovanni

Use your vote for positive change ....

“It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem.”

— Coretta Scott King

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

Next Tuesday is Election Day here in the USA. I am embarrassed that this presidential race is in any way, shape or form, a close race. I believe that this election is a contest of basic humanity vs. hatred, divisiveness, vengeance and fear mongering. It is so important that everyone goes to the polls and votes! I am terrified by hearing that many are so frustrated by the political system that they are planning not to vote!!! That decision will hurt everyone! The system might be flawed but it is the system that allows our participation in our government. However if the Republican candidate and his radical right-wing goose steppers succeed, it is safe to say that many freedoms will be lost to those who do not agree with or follow that administration.

I created this month’s collage to represent the beauty of diversity. I believe in the dignity of each individual and would like to live in a country where each citizen is represented and celebrated.

Below is a variation of this month’s collage that you can print and display. Please reach out if you wish it to say, ‘I believe’, or ‘in this house we believe’ or a variation that you wish to display.

Thank you & peace, Virginia

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

Let us all be more daring!

“I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.”
― Maya Angelou

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

Happy August ~ I am happily on the road, without my computer or printer, so this month’s calendar is a bit of an experiment. I usually do a test print of the calendar to make sure of colors and sizing, however I haven’t been able to that. So I advise that when you’re printing your calendar to check the printer option to ‘fit paper’ ~ or something like that. Good luck and I’d love to know how the printing process worked. Next month I should be back with my usual technology, but for now I’m traveling light! Happy August! And let us all be more daring!!!