Desperate Times, Creative Measures

Craftland Launches Exhibition Documenting Trump Presidency

October 3-31, 2020
233 Westminster Street
Wednesday through Sunday, 1-7pm

On the eve of one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, Craftland brings to Providence Desperate Times, Creative Measures, featuring work by artists in direct response to the Trump presidency. The exhibition, which runs October 3rd through October 31st, will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 1-7pm at 233 Westminster Street in downtown Providence.

Desperate Times, Creative Measures is curated by Craftland owner and artist Margaret Carleton to call attention to the urgency of this election. “Craftland was founded to support the voices and livelihoods of individual artists,” said Carleton. “And those livelihoods, like so many others, are under threat. Our retail store in downtown Providence always features work about equity and justice, and I wanted to do something special to elevate artists who are commenting on this moment in our nation.”

The exhibition brings together for the first time work by artists known nationally for political critique including:

Jesse Duquette, of Massachusetts, is an illustrator and creator of The Daily Don, which has documented each day of the Trump administration with a political cartoon. Duquette’s second collection of the cartoons, The Daily Don Pandemic Edition: From Impeachment to Imbleachment, will be published in October.
Dan Wood, an artist and printmaker in Providence, RI, designed The Linotype Daily as a record of the everyday trauma of paying attention in 2019. He operates DWRI Letterpress and is on the faculty at the RI School of Design.
Diana Weymar, of Canada, has gained international recognition for the Tiny Pricks Project, which showcases Trump’s tweets embroidered onto cloth by people across the world. The collection, which began when Weymar sewed “I am a stable genius” on a cushion she inherited from her grandmother, now includes over 10,000 hand-sewn pieces.
The Social Justice Sewing Academy, based in California, has engaged young people in schools, prisons, and community centers across the country to create quilts that address their lived experiences.
Kath Connolly lives in Providence, and her greeting card company, Card Carrying Liberal, gained a national following during W’s second run for president. Lately she has been writing feminist and anti-Trump statements inside vintage tea cups for a project called The T.

The show seeks to inspire audiences to consider individual acts of resistance and collective power. As artist Diana Weymar said, "When so much of the world appears to be about what you cannot change, what you cannot do, this collaboration has been about what we can do together. It is about recognizing our collective power and all we can achieve when we use many voices and many hands to build a better future. We are not alone. There is hope.”

Desperate Times, Creative Measures opens on October 3rd at 5 pm in a pop up gallery space at 233 Westminster Street in downtown Providence. Strict COVID-safe practices will be in place throughout the exhibition. No more than 18 people will be allowed in the space at one time, and all visitors will wear a mask at all times. Private showings for groups are available by appointment.

Throughout the show information on voting and voter registration will be available to visitors. Craftland's retail store will be open across the street from the exhibition.

Take a virtual tour of the show:

ABOUT CRAFTLAND

Craftland is a landmark store in the heart of downtown Providence owned by artists and brimming with unique gifts handmade in Rhode Island. Craftland’s shop and online store offer gifts for every season of giving, including clothing, original artwork, housewares, toys, prints, jewelry, stationery, and treasures that defy every category. Craftland’s 18th annual HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA will open on November 20, 2020 and is now accepting applications from artists. A local pioneer in the contemporary movement of handmade and DIY, Craftland began in 2002 as a holiday pop-up event and is now a year-round store at 212 Westminster Street and online at craftlandshop.com. All purchases at Craftland’s downtown shop are tax free. Craftland follows strict COVID-safe practices in its retail store and is open every day from 12-6.