Lids and Colors

2015 • Punch Gallery, Seattle Washington

I learned to sew, knit, embroider, and crochet at an early age, and I began modifying my own clothes by 1970, when I was in tenth grade. I spent an entire quarter in college, at Evergreen, doing nothing but making hats, in 1973. I was a member of Friends of the Rag, a group of artists who made wearables, in the late 70s, and have been making clothes and accessories, both for myself and for sale, for 50 years now. What you wear sends a message to the world, identifies you as a member of a tribe, and marks your place in society. Me, I make up my own tribe, my own gang, my own club. Merely by changing my hat, or my jacket, I can transform myself.

You can too. I am far from the only person today who assumes a uniform, or a disguise, or a costume, to send messages, fade into the background, or assert identity.