Dana Robinson
Pennies From Heaven
June 25th - July 31st 2022

In the artist’s own words: ⁣

I am making an ongoing series of scarves. I cut each scarf from a larger piece of silk fabric, I sew the edges and I paint each one by hand. They are all original art works that can be worn.⁣⁣

I chose scarves because of the love me and the generations of women in my family have for them. My mom, and her mother both have/had extensive scarf collections and I do as well. Instead of going out and searching for the perfect scarf I decided to start making my own. I began to study colors and patterns to try to understand what makes the scarves I like, and I also started using this as an opportunity to play with different artistic styles.⁣⁣⁣

These scarves are created with the specific purpose of me being in service to others, half the money made from the scarves is given to other Black people. Instead of my labor being used towards the gain of an employer, I wanted to choose to work for people who I love and respect. The money made from these scarves is split evenly between me and other people.⁣⁣⁣

Since capitalism functions in a space of scarcity, I wanted to prove to myself that there can be enough, and giving is something that can be built into my art practice. My labor in this project is being focused towards people that I care about, and people that should be cared for. This project brings up questions around labor, ownership, love, and abundance.⁣⁣⁣

The images in the scarves are not quite like anything seen in my other work but are really important for the continuation of my practice. These are the breaks between continuing the larger series of works, the more defined explorations and repeated styles that I continue to build on. This Scarf Collection and the other works on display in the space are a way for me to have fun while doing something important. They are productive experiments that make space for mistakes. They remind me that I’m not wrong, and there is no wrong way for me to make work.⁣