Quick Take
Santa Cruz County artists are taking a stand this weekend for democracy and reproductive rights in the form of eggs. Each egg is intricately decorated in the traditional Ukrainian method by a Santa Cruz artist and will be on sale Saturday, March 30, from 4-6 p.m. at gallery m.k. contemporary art in downtown Santa Cruz. Proceeds will go to grassroots organizing efforts by Walk the Walk USA. Artist Sara Friedlander explains the idea here.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.
Stop agonizing and start organizing.
This was such an apt slogan during the past several months, when it felt like the world was falling apart and I personally felt powerless to affect change. And it was exactly what the two organizations that I’m most involved with, ARRT (Artists Respond and Resist Together) and Walk the Walk USA, were trying to do as they moved into 2024.
I have been a Santa Cruz artist for the past 20 years, and after the first Women’s March in 2017, right after Donald Trump’s inauguration, I helped found ARRT, which now has a membership of over 150 artists and supporters. We believe in the power of art to affect social change and protect democratic values and want to use our creative skills to support progressive social actions in our local community and beyond.
When the steering committee of ARRT had its initial meeting this year, in February, we sat around the kitchen table at artist Myra Eastman’s house, searching for an activity/event that could bring the community together, involve art-making and support a worthwhile cause. We recalled our March 2022 Eggs for Ukraine event, where we hand-decorated Ukrainian eggs and sold them to raise funds for the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which was feeding Ukrainians at the beginning of that war. Hundreds attended at Curated by the Sea gallery (now m.k. contemporary art) and we raised $5,500. In the middle of COVID-19, it was a satisfying experience on many levels.
As we brainstormed this year, the idea of doing Ukrainian eggs emerged again and committee member Madaline Tomlinson said, “What about Eggs for Reproductive Rights?”
That was perfect.
After more conversation, we realized that given the plight of democracy here at home in 2024, we need to act right now to preserve all our freedoms for the future: the right to protest, gather, have reproductive rights and a free press, etc. We need to strengthen our democracy in order to further any of our causes, including the environment and racial and social injustice. We must defeat the dictatorship that Trump and Republicans have in store for us if they win in November.
It’s the bottom line and where we must focus our immediate attention.
I suggested we do this event as a fundraiser for Walk the Walk USA, which describes itself as “an all-volunteer initiative that raises funds for strategic voter empowerment by funding grassroots organizations in key geographies — to combat the rising tide of authoritarianism in this country, safeguard democracy, and make our local, state and federal governments work for the people.”
They’ve done their homework and identified the single most effective grassroots partner in each pivotal state. Their strategy, I believe, is effective and ethical. Neighbors meet neighbors, identify issues and reinforce the idea that every vote counts. The best way to get representation is to elect people who can address those very issues.
On every level, this approach is building and strengthening democracy in both the short and long term.
Downtown Santa Cruz gallery owner Melissa Kreisa generously offered to host the event at m.k. contemporary art at 703 Front St.
Last week, about 25 artists and friends gathered to decorate the eggs. Three women of Ukrainian descent were experienced with the technique. They guided us through the process, which involved designing, wax resist and dyeing. By the end of the third day, we had created more than 100 beautifully decorated eggs, each a work of art.
This Saturday, March 30, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., all our eggs will be ready for viewing and for sale. The eggs will be $40-plus and it will be first come, first served. There’ll be jazz by Stolen Moments and a new exhibit of local artists represented by m.k. contemporary on display.
Please join us and bring a friend. It’s a great way to act locally and think globally.
Sara Friedlander has been living in Santa Cruz since 1973. After 30 years as a psychotherapist, she shifted her focus to her artwork and has been exhibiting locally and nationally since 2000. She started with ceramics in the 1970s and has worked with photography and painting, sculpture and digital collaging to create multiple series featuring Chinese women with bound feet, the New York subways, blurred landscapes, immigration, environmental concerns and more. During the isolation of COVID-19, she returned to ceramics. Her work as an arts activist through Santa Cruz’s ARRT group has solidified her belief in the importance of the arts in preserving our democracy.
The ARRT steering committee includes: Myra Eastman, Anita Heckman, Melissa West, Madaline Tomlinson, Karen Gallant and Sara Friedlander.