Helllooooooo my friends!
I’ve got some exciting things to share and to involve you in. I hope this email brings you some joy in this never ending shit storm that is our lives right now.
I just spent a few days in Knoxville, TN. Driving through Tennessee was mmmmm….terrifying. Trump is still everywhere. Masks were nowhere and I tried not to make many stops. Knoxville, however, was a lovely respite. I was there to keynote the Maker City Summit. It was very strange being in a room with more than 10 people. It was strange being on a stage again. I was uncomfortable despite all of the safety measures that were taken. I wonder if I will ever feel totally comfortable again in a large group?
The event was lovely and everyone I met was inspiring and smart. I turned the keynote into a blog post if you are interested in reading it. The focus was “create and contribute” and it’s a bit of a behind the scenes of my work and a tribute to some other amazing creatives who are contributing. Here’s the link.
UPCOMING EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, AND SHOWS
October 3 + 24 Stitch-up for Patreon Community Members
Oct 7 Advocating for yourself with Medical Professionals in the US
Oct 9 Embroidery 101 - Zoom
Oct 16 Craftivism + Embroidery at Kennesaw State Univ in Georgia
Oct 17 Badass Herstory Stitch-Up + Embroidery Workshop at MODL Atlanta
Nov 5 HUGE SHOW OPENING at the National Liberty Museum in
Philadelphia. This exhibit will feature over 250 pieces of my work + I
will be debuting a new piece (that really packs a punch). PLUS, the
work of over 150 artists who have contributed to Badass Herstory.
Nov 11 Craftivism 101 at Wild Hand in Philadelphia
February 16 -20
I will be on faculty at QuiltCon in Phoenix leading a 6-hour Craftivism Intensive, a 3-hour Craftivism workshop, and speaking. Register asap!
Looks like I’ll be in Nevada, Arizona, and California for most of the winter so let’s start planning stuff!
OTHER THINGS:
I wrote about my experiences with my work going viral after this little ditty unleashed the wrath of hell on my Instagram. Here’s a link.
I LOVED this podcast conversation between Omkari Williams and Alex Zamalin about his book, Against Civility.
I stayed in the driveway of the founder of this INCREDIBLE new initiative and I want to tell you about it real quick:
Consider this: More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the media, in the community, or in the justice system—together we can do better.
Uncovered is building technology to solve cold cases. They're empowering the true crime community to turn their interest into advocacy by combining all publicly available information with an engaged community to crowdsource the gaps in the investigations of the unsolved cases of the murdered and missing. By combining all information in a comprehensive database, visualizing the timeline of events, overlaying each onto a map of locations, and curating resources of thoughtful citizen detective work, they’re bringing case details together in a way it’s never been done before.
Go to uncovered.com to access resources, like their Citizen Detective Guide, and interact with the cases they are currently visualizing—which update daily—to learn how you can help.If you believe: families deserve answers; victims deserve a voice, and no one should be a statistic. Uncovered is looking for digital sleuths and citizen solvers to join their platform to uncover answers for the more than 200,000 cold cases of the murdered and missing. You can download their Citizen Detective guide, help crowdsource the gaps in unsolved cases, and learn more about how you can turn your interest in true crime into advocacy for victims at uncovered.com.
Looking for a fun activity to keep you occupied and inspired this October? Look no further than #ShowYourArt2021!
Every year for National Arts & Humanities Month, Americans for the Arts challenges artist to express ourselves on a range of cultural themes to flood Instagram with the power and purpose of the arts and humanities. Take a look at this year's prompts and start collecting ideas for your posts—then share with your friends and challenge them to join in, too.
My patreon community will be taking part and having some discourse so join us!
A reminder that if you are working on your Badass Herstory submissions and you want it to be included in the exhibit at the National Liberty Museum, I need them by October 15th!
Get your story in a museum!!!
I am VERY excited to come to Philly. I’ll be there the first two weeks of November and I am still looking for a spot to park the RV. If you have room for me or ideas please let me know! Here’s the specs.
And finally, here’s some pics from the last month just for fun!
Maggie still loves adventure days!
West Virginia chickens. (They loud)
THAT IS ALL DMC 310!!!!!
My new favorite spot…boob mountain.
North Carolina chickens. Maggies gives zero shits.
Salem College. I’m currently teaching + leading some craftivist interventions here this fall.
Every 5 feet in Winston-Salem
I love you!
Shannon