So it's been some time since we last posted about anything here. To be quite frank, we have been just digesting the already hard to swallow realities of the world: We are collectively experiencing and witnessing catastrophes beyond comprehension.
Sketchboard started with a simple mission, creating and sustaining safe spaces by and for underrepresented bodies in the figurative arts. Then we kept finding unmet needs and filling those gaps in our community, such as grant writing and inclusive ways to participate in communal creativity. We thrived before the pandemic and continued to bring that same feeling after the lockdown was lifted. The community craved what we have created: a safe space to honor the human body in all its forms.
It has become a sacred practice that has an infectious effect: giving us agency and autonomy over our bodies, sharing that vulnerable experience with each other, through creative collaboration. As we watch individualism and capitalism take over the nation, we are also watching those resist that mentality through organizing or contributing to the movements that speak to them.
Now, more than ever, we need to rely on each other. We are all this together. Being able to trust and care for another is more than just simple acts; mutual aid asks us to walk with our values everyday in order to build that world we can all thrive in. Organizations like ours simply can't thrive without the support of our community.
In times of crisis and political upheaval, we look to art to hold and record cultural identity and memory - and to create work that inspires, reveals truths, embodies joy, and funnels frustration. What is threatening about our identities to the systems of power is that we represent a possibility, a choice, and a way of living that isn't contained within the patriarchy.
We can’t continue to organize in ways that replicate and legitimize the systems we are trying to dismantle.
The collective at Sketchboard share the anger and frustration from the most recent events. We remain committed to holding safe spaces for the community. We want to open the dialogue to keep figuring out what that looks like under a fascist regime. We want to hear your thoughts on how we can continue sustaining and creating safe spaces for us. We hope you can continue joining us next year and beyond.
