“When Called Out”
Collaborators’ Q&A: Poet Maya Janson: …that compelling slot in the middle/heart of the piece is so perfectly labial, which mirrors the female voice and sentiment of the poem. The artist’s response feels grounded in both the domestic—a square of quilted fabric—and visionary—a third eye peering, unblinking, from the center. Artist Amy Meissner: To me, themes from this folio seem to reflect nature and the body…. I wonder if this is where we are in this time, reaching, fumbling for ourselves within a social and political environment that feels cold and dismissive. Of course we would turn to the natural world, and to the body, for solace.
Maya Janson‘s second poetry collection On the Mercy Me Planet was chosen by The Massachusetts Center for the Book as a “Must-Read Book.” Alaska artist Amy Meissner combines traditional handwork, found objects, and abandoned, often valueless textiles to reference the literal, physical, and emotional work of women.