December Art Swap
The December Art Swap: Resistance, ran for the month of December in 2024. Participating creatives made a piece of art that embodied “Resistance,” whatever that meant to them. They were then paired up, and swapped their art. Like a secret santa, but instead of gifts, we exchange protest art.
What follows are some of the pieces made for the art swap, shared with permission from the artists and creators, as well as their artist statements.
“Untitled” by Anna Neshyba, 2024
“For my piece, I have been thinking a lot about how I approach resistance and protest. I used to envision it as an energetic motion, pushing a movement forward in space and time against the force of great and many injustices. But my body has changed so much as the result of chronic illness, and the way I engage with activism has changed as well. Now I see it more like stopping. Sending roots down, deep into the Earth. Refusing to move, refusing to shed any of my humanity: supporting my community (in the ways I can), and claiming my part in the ecosystem. And that’s how I got to the motif of trees. “ (Anna Neshyba, 2024)
“Seven of Wands” by Linda Drake, 2024
“This painting is a naturalistic interpretation of the Seven of Wands tarot card. Wands are the suit of fire, creativity, nature, spring, and rebirth, so depicting the card with seven trees rather than wands or staffs seems appropriate. The specific traditional meaning of the card is aligned with the theme of the art exchange: resistance. The card is associated with standing for what is right, fighting back, conviction, perseverance, and courage. The image may encourage the viewer to find strength and support for the qualities of the Seven of Wands through engagement with the forest and nature.” (Linda Drake, 2024)
“Rest and Resistance” by Nika Neshyba-Nara, 2024
“This zine is a collection of poetry by Nika on the theme of resistance. Our resistance calls for rest, truth-telling, radical love, silliness, forgiveness, and a sinking into a sense of place: being where and who we are, unapologetically. Sometimes it's hard to find the words to express what we need, but writing poetry that comes from the heart is something everyone can do. Reverse the pages of the zine to find a blank canvas for your own writing. What things help your resistance? Can you give them a voice?” (Nika Neshyba-Nara, 2024)
Check out Nika’s instagram account.
Vulture Print by Wayne Halliburton, 2024
“I've been thinking about vultures a lot lately. We have quite a few black vultures in Austin, and I've also sent you one of my favorite photographs I've ever taken. The idea for my print originally started as a song lyric I wrote. "I watch you like a buzzard from the lamppost..." I haven't done anything further with the song. For my print, I carved my own stamp blocks, both the turkey vulture and each letter. The carving in and of itself was incredibly therapeutic. Despite mainly observing black vultures in my personal life, I've gone with a turkey vulture simply for the iconography of them. I think the red and black read really well together.” (Wayne Halliburton, 2024)
Check out Wayne’s work on their Patreon.
“Unravelling” by Anonymous, 2015
“This is actually an older piece of mine titled Unraveling (2015). I painted her at a time when I was deeply depressed and isolated. Many years later I now know much of the pain I felt was related to unknown nuerodivergencies. Living with an invisible disability I also struggled for a long time with guilt at not being able to do more. More for myself, for my community, or friends. But sometimes resistance can be as small as living each day, until you have the strength to do more. I hope you enjoy.” (Anonymous, 2024)
“Untitled” by Anna Neshyba, 2024
“Seven of Wands” by Linda Drake, 2024
“Rest and Resistance,” pg 4-5, by Nika Neshyba-Nara, 2024
Vulture Print by Wayne Halliburton, 2024
“Unravelling” by Anonymous, 2024
