Emma Goldman

By Colleen Kellyginter

May 2nd, 2024

Cancer has eaten up my family. My fraternal grandfather David, my father Bernerd, had bone cancer. My maternal grandfather, Everett, had stomach cancer. My mother, Truda, had intestinal cancer and melanoma. My sister died from ovarian and uterine cancer (talcum powder). My twin sister's daughter-in-law had breast cancer at 34 because no doctor would give her a mammogram covered by insurance. The art piece "Emma Goldman" represents the struggles of surviving in a world of "hush hush don't tell!" A vintage half wooden yolk (speaks for itself), hangs the ink dyed cotton and canvas. A red bra strap dangling. (Loss of a breast). The bright butterfly is universally a sign of life and renewal yet struggling always in hope of survival. Using natural vegetable dyes, Lumiere Metallic textile paints and pink Himalayan salt overlaid on printed pima cotton, machine and hand embroidered. Whether on stretched out green meadows or the streets of a city. The flowing waterfalls into all backgrounds of life. We can not escape. We are all one in this struggle.