Art Department Weekly | Issue 94 Vol. 12

ADW ART DEPARTMENT WEEKLY ISSUE 94 VOL. 12

THIS WEEK’S WORD IS

Bubble

MINIBOARD

I’ve seen dozens of people at checkout with bikes, but the empty toy section doesn’t feel like a success.

With whatever this is right outside our door, science every day for Boom might be easy

COUNTDOWN When so many people are running around without masks properly covering their faces, it doesn’t seem like much is really changing between phases. While some families hit the beaches, others wonder if the state will make it to Phase 4 to open schools.

CIRCUMSTANCE Zoom graduation from Pre-K didn’t feel like an occasion for much pomp to me.

I crafted a cap at literally the last minute and her brothers were present because her dad planned for the whole family to be sitting in the background.

Like I said, though, it’s a Pre-K ceremony on Zoom. I had to tell her brothers several times that she had already sat through three step-up and graduation ceremonies for them, so it was their turn to be good audience members.

The lawn sign did melt my heart. In case you didn’t click the link for hashtagprops.com in a previous issue or seen posts from other families of graduates, lawn signs are keeping the economy going right now. I don’t know where my school district got the money for so many lawn signs, but I happily stuck it in a planter out front when Betty’s team of teachers (four women in masks who couldn’t give her hugs) dropped it off.

Bubble alert! Betty picked the red train bubble wand as her prize from the teachers after I picked this theme. —MV

Art Department Weekly is published by Dinosaur Girly Productions, 184 Bay 26th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214. The entire contents of ADW are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without expressed written consent of the publisher. ADW accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. ADW reserves the right to edit, rewrite, refuse or reuse material, is not responsible for errors or omissions, and may feature same in other mediums for any and all purposes.

ICE CREAMANIA On a recent ice cream run, Madeline returned with a box of the re-imagined WWE Super Stars ice cream bars. This instantly transported me back to 1987 when the WWE originally launched their ice cream bars.

While the new bars are basically tasty ice cream sandwiches with cookie layers on either side of vanilla ice cream, they don’t hold a candle to the original. The first version was on stick and had a layer of cookie layered on vanilla ice cream with a delicious chocolate backing. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Of course both bars have the same calling card of WWE super stars pressed into the cookie. It’s one of the only places where you can have The Man (Becky Lynch) and the Macho Man. So even though I prefer the original, this Good Humor remake will make me say (in my best Macho Man), “Oh Yeahhhhhh!” —LV

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D R A HE

T R NA

R E V O

I

“Why is there lettuce in your drink?”

-Betty

“It’s like the floor is lava but ‘The Children are in Your Way!’” -Madeline

“It looks like the poop emoji” -Boom

“Demi Moore trying to freeze herself to death in her apartment is a real cinematic treat’” -Mary Ellen

“We always described him as neon and eclectic” -Luis

“The best superhero— he has laser eyes and a cape”

PATCHWORK While he’s obsessed with Transformers, Boom was inspired to make a micro Brickheadz version of the Iron Giant after finding a unique gray piece. Then he made two more larger versions before seeing the movie.

-Betty

I’m so excited to sew these onto the bag I run around with for grocery shopping, but I’ve been caught up in producing this issue. Totally going to do it before I make this week’s run, though. Check out all the options at pandemicpatches.com

“If you put your mask back on after eating, no one will know”

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-Bob

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IN A BUBBLE

FRAGILE AND SOMEWHAT NECESSARY, WHY BUBBLE IS OUR THEME THIS WEEK

ALL I WANT TO DO IN QUARANTINE IS FINALLY CROSS THINGS OFF MY TO-DO LIST

that have been there for years, like old convention issues. I want to be like, “We can’t go anywhere? Then leave me alone while I finish this. You’re hungry? You can figure it out.” But that’s not how any of this works. I thought about calling Issue 93 a double issue in order to skip this week and free up more time to create the 2018 conventions issues. Then I thought I could phone it in by embracing the fact that I am in a bubble of my own making. Suddenly references to bubbles were everywhere, including The New York Times warning how necessary but difficult it is to form a pod so kids can socialize this summer and then a dad with a video warning “the social and emotional bubble is about to burst,” like the dot-com bubble or the housing bubble.* We are in a bubble. The super isolation helps create the illusion here that we’re not missing anything outside. Three kids fighting with each other plus all their school work creates enough drama. I can’t do anything about the impending hot weather and how miserable that will make things, but we can keep avoiding people who don’t want to wear masks or believe everyone should be treated equally. At the least, I hope to emerge a better person with a shorter to-do list.

—MV

*Check out unite4ourfight.org to learn more about investing in research and support for first responders and children during this pandemic.

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NOT SO CLEAN FUN We used dish soap to make paintings, but ended up with a table that is crusted in matte acrylics and pictures full of dirt from drying on the wet pavement.

It was so much fun Betty cried when we told her she couldn’t do this two days in a row.

—MV

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MEG’S BUBBLE As a college student during COVID-19, it was a little hard to adapt to taking all my courses online. My college told students not to come back to campus, to install ZOOM, and to make sure we were able to get through the rest of the semester without any issues.

Being able to go to class was my escape from home during the week because it allowed me to breathe and spend time with friends. Pre-COVID, I would go to class, socialize with some friends, do work-study, and run my photography club. During COVID, I was placed into a bubble and I hated it.

I couldn’t see my friends or family. I had difficulty focusing on class work because my grandma always had something to complain about and I missed going outside to get some fresh air. The only time I really went out was for groceries or to do laundry. Other than that, my COVID life consisted of Zoom calls, homework, Minecraft, and complaining. The main thing that got me through quarantine life was being able to video chat with my brothers and sister.

Seeing them made all my troubles go away. At the end of the day, I didn’t like COVID quarantine life but it is what it is.

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BUBBLES STICK TOGETHER.

It would have made for a stronger issue to spend time listening to how other people are getting along in this time and asking them nicely to show me their bubbles, but I thought it better to save the reaching out for the future when I’m not just taking jabs for a quick response. I’m buried in things to-do. When I decided to get this magazine going again, I did not imagine that everything would be shut down. In my head, I planned to be in other people’s work spaces to help promote their projects.

My other main hesitation might also be that my bubble is a place where everyone is using this time to reflect. I’m listening to people asking what we’re willing to tear down in order to make this society work for everyone. The fewer real time interactions I have, the less likely I am to learn that other people are not using this discomfort to help them grow.

My Facebook feed is full of racist neighbors, so that doesn’t bode well for my kids meeting more anti-racists.

—MV

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CRITICAL MASS

Text from what we’ve seen around social media

@TehsuanGlover

@bethes_sup

It’s a privilege to “not be political” When you say you’re not political, you’re telling on yourself. What you’re saying is that you’ve only been on the receiving end of all the invisible perks the government provides, rather than being on the side that suffers from the lack of them or that is even actively harmed by them.

@blkgawdduss

Conservatives won’t get how #AllLivesMatter erases black people, but will argue passionately about how “Happy Holidays” erases Christmas

@georgetakei

Pass it along.

For my all lives matter folks: When the Boston marathon was bombed, everybody’s profile picture went “Boston strong.” Nobody said, “All cities are strong!”

When the Las Vegas shooting happened, people changed their profiles to “stand with Vegas.” Nobody said, “Well what about the people that got shot in my city!”

Have you ever seen someone counter a “breast cancer” post with a “what about colon cancer?”

But for some reason, if someone says “Black Lives Matter,” it turns into all inclusive “all lives matter.”

It’s not an either/or proclamation. When there is a crisis, we have always rallied around that particular group. It doesn’t discredit or diminish any other group. It just brings awareness and support to the group that needs attention.

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If you have an issue with the fireworks going off every night, did you know you can call 502.595.2300 and ask them to arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor. @untilfreedom

@asmaresists

I personally think it’s really cool how we all went from learning how to make banana bread to learning how to abolish the police in a matter of weeks

Time to send some emails!

Email attorney.general@ag.ky.gov and demand AG Daniel Cameron charge Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and Joshua Jaynes with Breonna’s murder Email State Representative Joni Jenkins at joni.jenkins@lrc.ky.gov and Senator Morgan McGarvey at morgan.mcgarvey@lrc.ky.gov and ask that they present a state-wide band on no-knock warrants Demand justice for Elijah McClain by calling Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson at 303.739.6050 or Attorney General Phil Weisner at 720.508.6000 or Mayor Mike Coffman at 303.739.7015 or Governor Jared Polis at 303.866.2471. Try saying, “I am calling on behalf of Elijah McClain.

We demand that D.A. Dave Young resign for wrongly stating on national television that Elijah experienced no injuries from the incident with police.” Tell them to open a real investigation.

@scarecrowbar posted a comic strip that explained you’re not a hypocrite if you go from saying All Lives Matter to Black Lives Matter—it means you’re growing as a person

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The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth -African Proverb

(FB) Gregory Sullivan Did you hear what happened in Boston?

An unarmed teenage boy was hit in the head with the butt end of a firearm during a nonviolent verbal exchange with a law enforcement officer.

Word of the incident quickly spread, and within an hour several people gathered in the area to peacefully protest. They shouted slogans, and business owners in the area closed up shop for fear of their property.

The law enforcement officers called for backup, and backup arrived in the form of heavily armed law enforcement personnel.

They then declared the assembly unlawful and ordered the protesters to disperse.

The crowd, in response, grew restless and hurled dirt clods at law enforcement personnel. Law enforcement responded by firing into the crowd.

The first man killed was a black man.

If, while reading this story, you found yourself thinking that law enforcement was in the right, and that the protesters should have dispersed...

Then congratulations, you fallen on the wrong side of history siding with tyrant King George III against American patriots.

The incident occurred in 1770. The black man killed was named Crispus Attucks. The incident became known as the Boston massacre and was one of the key events leading to the American revolution.

@RBReich

Today marks 7 years since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. On June 3, 2020, the story of how Dave Chappelle went from riffing on headlines the audience suggested to educating them about how apartheid ended. Kenny DeForest says Chapelle recounted asking his best friend from South Africa what it was like “right before apartheid ended and he said it was chaos in the streets.

There were riots & car bombs etc, but the amount of people caring hit critical mass...”

@KennyDeForest

...and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The people had momentum and apartheid ended.

Critical mass. That’s what we have to hit. Once enough of you care, there will be nothing they can do to stop the change” It was incredibly powerful. The crowd was somber and silent

@thedailyshow

“I’m not surprised that this outrage has come on the back of a pandemic, because I think it’s the first time that people actually had the time to sit down and grapple with the issues.

“Growth only comes from discomfort. You can’t avoid something that’s gonna make you uncomfortable if you’re sitting on the couch, stuck with it.”

-Kimberly Jones

Since then, states with a history of voter suppression have closed 1,688 polling places throughout the South.

It couldn’t be more blatant.

The House passed a bill in December 2019 to reinstate federal oversight of state elections. According to The New York Times, “The bill has little chance of becoming law given opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate and by President Trump, whose aides issued a veto threat against it this week.” Sign the petition to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act. Then, while the bill waits in Senator McConnell’s inbox, there are other things we can do to take action.

Here are some tips from the American Bar Association: SpreadtheVote.org helps voters get IDs. Voter ID laws in particular affect communities of color, the elderly, and new voters. This organization helps people navigate state ID laws, can assist with application fees, and drives voters to the DMV to get an ID. Find out your state’s registration process and deadlines and the particular challenges your state’s voters encounter.

Then share what you learn with neighbors and friends.

Indivisible makes it easy to help get out the vote. Online tools make it easy to text or call voters in key swing elections— even if you are not in that state—to remind them to vote. They also have tools to help you organize locally.

You can donate to ACLU chapters in states that are particularly vulnerable to voter suppression.

Election Protection provides information about polling locations and absentee ballot information and has a nonpartisan hotline to call if things go awry on voting day. Call (866) OURVOTE if you think someone is illegally being denied the ability to vote, if your polling machine breaks, if there aren’t enough ballots, etc. Attorneys can sign up to volunteer with Election Protection to help on-the-ground efforts to protect voting rights. Nonattorneys can sign up as poll monitors on Election Day. Follow brennancenter.org for more opportunities to learn and get involved.

@shaunking

Hey Family, So many of you have asked how you can help, or if you can chip in to help me, or my family, my work, or my security.

Honestly, the best thing you could do for me right now is to donate to The Grassroots Law Project.

Donate whatever you can.

If you could become a monthly donor, it would mean the world.

When you see next week what we’re building, you’ll understand why.

Love and appreciate you all, Shaun grassrootslaw.org/plan I was telling Luis how I’d seen King posting about taking down all the white Jesus statues because they symbolize White Supremacy, and next thing I know he’s saying former police officers have been caught plotting to murder him in a private Facebook group. Meanwhile, I also have memes in my feed declaring that “monuments are coming down but Jesus is still on the throne.” If you haven’t considered it before, think about the potential damage of white Jesus.

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ART BY BOOM Betty demanded a bubble bath the same day I said we would do a bubble theme, shortly after Kal had said he wanted to draw on top of photos again. I didn’t expect Boom to create two friends with his photo choices because the one above was a mountain in his imagination when he was in the bath.

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AROUND THE BUBBLE This picture of the garden in the backyard inspired Kal to created a misty Ewok-like village. Meanwhile, Betty did not want any garden or bubble pictures—she wanted to draw on top of Streaky sleeping.

Months ago, I thought Betty would be happy to wear a dress with a unicorn pattern to school. She said the long sleeves were itchy but also said she didn’t want me to cut off the sleeves. Finally, I made it a cold shoulder look. Now she thinks it’s so pretty.

I asked the littles to help me wash the car one day to keep them entertained.

Boom was rocking his bold, moody look.

Four of us were playing a family game.

The fifth was doing his own thing.

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FIVE THINGS *

OFF THE TOP OF KAL’S HEAD THAT HE THOUGHT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

1

All “men” are created equal? No, all white men are created equal. The document speaks of liberty and destroying tyranny while slave owners are killing many.

I don’t remember ever learning about the speech Frederick Douglass gave July 5, 1852, in Rochester at an event to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I’ve been listening to the fourth season of The United States of Anxiety podcast, and the host’s tradition is to listen to a recording of James Earl Jones recite a selection of that speech. You can catch it at the end of the episode from June 26. I highly recommend all of Season 4’s work to discuss what is happening around us in terms of protests, decarceration, and more.

“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.”

wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anxiety

-Frederick Douglass

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It’s actually debatable whether we should have even signed it in the first place. British colonists dragged themselves into war with New France. One could argue they should pay the taxes rather than introduce anarchy and lose protection.

3

However, the colonies were founded by people seeking freedom, so they could not really let people on the other side of the ocean tell them what to do.

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The whole document speaks of rights, but they did not give those rights to everyone.

I don’t really remember—this was like a school year ago. It wasn’t my station.

From their About page, “The United States of Anxiety works to connect the present with the past. Underlying almost every cultural divide and fervent debate as we approach the 2020 election is one basic question: Who is the USA for?”

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