Commitment to Community

 

Hello sweet community, 

Thank you for your interest in my work and for taking the time to visit this page. It feels important for me to make a statement about my identities, my political stances and my efforts to live an art practice that challenges violent systems of white supremacy, capitalism and imperialism in our culture. As a white non-disabled person, I am committed to unlearning these conditions in myself, leveraging my privileges for collective gain, and aligning my skills with the rebuilding of our culture and social structures.

I am interested in creating art that will help others do the same — through creative exploration, making images and collaborative projects that foster our radical imaginations and helps us shape our emergent future.  

I intend for this page to be a working document as I continue to grow, unlearn, and remain open to feedback<3 

Rooting & Resisting,

Olly

One_Foot_Final.jpg

“In order to build the movements capable of transforming our world, we have to do our best to live with one foot in the world we have not yet created.”

— Aurora Levíns Morales


Land Acknowledgement

As a white person of settler colonial Italian/Irish descent and occupier of Turtle Island (so called North America) I recognize the history of genocide perpetuated by white settlers on Indigenous communities and commit to learn more about and support the work of Indigenous calls for Justice, Sovereignty, Land Back, Environmental Justice and leadership etc. 

Olly is currently occupies the homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi Nations, and the Illinois Confederacy: the Peoria and Kaskaskia Nations. (So-called Chicago.)

Many other nations including the Myaamia (me-YAH-me-ah), Wea (WAY-ah), Ho-Chunk (HOE-chunk), Menominee (meh-NOM-ih-nee), Thakiwaki (thah-KEY-wah-key), Meskwaki (meh-skw-AH-key), Kiikaapoi (KEE-kah-poy), and Mascouten (mah-SCOOT-en) peoples also call this region home.

Black Lives Matter/ Police and Prison Abolition/ Wealth Redistribution

Black Lives Matter. I recognize that white supremacy is still the overarching culture of the United States starting from it’s so-called discovery with the arrival of white colonizers to the present day. I recognize that this violent, punitive, racist system comes to the benefit of all white people and at a physical, economic, physiological, spiritual and emotional cost of all people of color, primarily Black Americans. I know that it is my responsibility to educate myself about these systems, my white privilege, to aid in the deconstruction of these systems, and to listen to and support Black individuals and organizations regarding the building of new systems that support Black wellness. 

I am a Police and Prison Abolitionist. This means I support the movement to dismantle and defund state policing as well as federal and private prisons and the institutions of punitive punishment that prop them up. I stand behind Black leaders in believing that we can not have a country free of violence while these institutions exist. In naming this, I commit to learning about alternative models of working through harm, reflecting on the ways I practice punishment in my own relationships. I commit to having conversations with other white people about these institutions, and I commit to showing up with my skills to support the larger abolitionist movement. I also recognize that creating a culture where everyone has access to food, water, housing, jobs and healthcare are essential to creating a safe society.

One action I commit to take annually within my business is to donate at least 10% of my annual profits from my art practice to Black Abolitionist, LGBTQIA, Indigenous and Immigrant Organizations. 

I also commit to redistributing $200-$300 per month from my stipend to QTBPIoC individuals.

Sustainability

As an individual committed to Environmental Justice and creating an ecologically safer world for all beings, I will continue to interrogate how my business may be contributing to environmental degradation and work toward reduction of plastic and waste in my practices, research ethical sourcing, and challenge capitalist cultures of constant creation and consumption. 

Donation Requests

I am happy to donate prints and other goods to fundraisers for groups working toward social and environmental transformation and who are committed to principles of racial justice, abolition, environmental justice and LQBTQIA+ wellness and dignity. 

If you’d like to request a donation, please fill out THIS FORM and I will be in contact with you! 

Bartering

If you are interested in some of the products I offer for sale but are feeling financially strained, I am opening to bartering. Please email me with these requests! Below are some goods that I am interested in; 

Homemade preserves, organic honey, homegrown seeds adapted to North America, baskets, coffee and teas, herbal medicines, maple syrup, handmade ceramics, zines, fiber art and fabrics, beeswax candles, vegetarian cook books, leather goods, local compost, and likely other things I can’t think of! 

* Although I will do my best to respond to barter requests, as my audience grows I can’t guarantee my ability to get back to everyone. 

Commitment to Feedback

I recognize that I am in a lifelong process of growth, learning, and unlearning. I am open to criticism, concern, and feedback of my work in order to be accountable to communities I share my images with and to create work that continues to challenge the status quo and push us toward collective liberation.