The Liberty Crochet Mural is a large-scale community Yarn Mural measuring 17 ft by 11 ft. It consists of 40, 2 ft by 2 ft squares patchworked together. Each piece is assigned to a crocheter/community member as part of the larger image. A giant crochet puzzle. The design is in response to the overturning of Roe v Wade. Each participant demonstrates in fiber their dissent of SCOTUS overturning their rights to bodily autonomy, reproductive freedom, and their lives. With each loop and every stitch, we amplify millions of unheard and unrepresented voices and show how powerful “womans work” is.
Crocheters: Benilda Midence, Cambria Olson, Carissa Murray, Catie Theisen, Cathy Ingram, Cherry Ann, Delorean Mills, Elizabeth Sovern, Emma Oliver, Emmalene Caprese, Haven Wheelock, Heather Champ, Janis Woodburn, Jennifer A, Jen LaMastra, Jessica Sutton, Joanna Dyer, Kali Quinn, Knotty Harts, Kristin Olson, Linda Dunn, Loretta Grant, Michelle Elisburg, Nancy Henning, Rachel Consolo, Saskia Lopez, and Sayda Trujillo.
Sponsors: Emily Martin, Gwyn Gilkeson, Justine LaMastra, Kathy Graf, Lesley Bennett, Nanami Norton, and Teri Carder.
Want to participate in the fiber revolution. Here is a MINI liberty mural that you can do solo and yarn bomb your community with your fiber dissention. Free Pattern
One thousand four hundred and sixty five days of wishing, and hoping, and manifesting change. An autobiographical snapshot of a grieving woman in search of hope.
MATERIALS:
Eggshells
1000 embroidered origami cranes
Muslin
Glass bottles
Origami lucky stars
SPECIAL THANKS
Chandra Glaeseman (plaster casting master), Cyan Bott, Celeste Sipes (Radish Underground), Kollodi Norton, Emmalene Capece, Kellie Kane, Kristin Olson, Jan Schatz, and Cindy Black.
eggshell self portrait
hundreds of origami wish stars in glass bottles
1000 hand embroidered origami cranes. Hand sewn joining hexagons.
hand embroidered origami cranes
clockwise: embroidery countdown list, hexagon organization, giant origami crane, back side of hand sewn quilt
eggshell collection: cracked heart
origami wish production
lucky origami wish star
round one casting for eggshell sculpture
eggshell sculpture in process
Life size sculpture cast in plastic, and tissues folded into origami cranes. It was displayed in the SHE collection, shown in the group show, “Power Positions: a dismantling of phallacies.”
Created in conjunction to 2016 film, I am the explosion of a thousand cranes in flight. Premiering at 2016 Beady Little Eyes Puppet Slam in Portland OR. Supported by RACC.
An exploration in Victorian Breakdancing 1000 hours/6 months to create.
MATERIALS USED
Mini blinds, used curtains. Window Screening, Soda can/Beer tabs, mini blinds. Bicycle Tire tubes, recycled gold wire.
CREDITS
Modeled by Erin McGarry (bike tubes), Linda Okereke (mini blinds), Makeup by Claudine Ebel. Photos by Kellie Kane. Jewelry by Betsy and Iya. and Isaac Watson.
Crayon Man
MATERIALS USED: Used Crayons, plastic grocery bag, hot glue, and packing tape. The crayons came from SCRAP. ~80 to 100 hours.
CREDITS: Modeled by Corey Ravens. Photo courtey of Jen LaMastra
ACCOLADES: This image has been on the cover of Sustainable Life, in The Portland Tribune, on several blogs, in Portland Monthly, and was circulating image on the Junk to Funk website.
Chastity Blinds
MATERIALS USED: Mini blinds, bicycle tire tubes, old trunk locks, used window hinges. *collected from Freecycle, seven corners bike shop, rebuilding center and hippo hardware. 500 hours to create.
CREDITS: Modeled by Emily Alexander. Photos courtesy of The Photographers and Junk to funk.
ACCOLADES: Won first prize and the peoples choice award at Junk to Funk. 2009 Display at Portland International Airport for 6 months and SCRAP’S gallery for 1 month. Featured on Dusty Couture and Brooklyn Bee and Fashion Club.
Miss Reverb Fever
MATERIALS USED: Unusable CDs and DVDs, human hair, old curtains and demin jeans dress, guitar strings, spiral notebook springs. The CDs were collected from SCRAP and from an elementary school’s computer lab.
CREDITS: Modeled by Jen LaMastra. Photos courtesy of Corey Ravens.
ACCOLADES: This jacket has been on Display at several eco-events hosted by Junk to Funk, and on display at Montavilla sewing center for a teens fashion camp taught by Jen. Published in Portland Monthly and the Brooklyn Bee, as well as been on several blogs including Green Wala. Interviewed on Portland’s T.V. program Sustainable Today.
Vitamin Water Bottle Dress
MATERIALS USED: 200 Used Vitamin Water Zero Bottles and Labels. Glow, Rhythm, Squeezed, Revitalize. Packing Tape. Thread, 30 Led’s, solder, Glow in the dark paint, clear vinyl and hot glue.
CREDITS: Modeled by Natalie M. Morris, Makeup by Katherine Sealy, Lighting/circuitry design by Mark Keppinger, Photos courtesy of Brian Adrian Koch.
THANKS: Virginia LaForte, Lindsey Newkirk, Tim Gunn/Brian Adrian Koch, Traci Price, Jessica Kimmet, Erinn McGarry, Sylvia, Emily Alexander, and Mark Keppinger.
For one month, 14 Little Free Libraries in Portland Oregon, were transformed into Little Galleries. Lil Bear Magic was a yarn bombed fiber mushroom house filled weekly with 120 total little crochet bears. Gallery viewers were encouraged to:
Take a bear. Take it on an adventure and Tag it. #lilbearmagic
MATERIALS
Acrylic yarn
Poly stuffing
Safety eyes
Felt
Instagram
Produced by Erinn Katheryn and Jen LaMastra.
Special thanks: Participating artists, library owners, and individual donors
One year of obsessive and total ridiculous celebration of THE WAFFLE
42 recipes, 10 field trips, a community notebook, photographs documenting every sundays waffle invitation, and closing the year with a closing waffle ceremonies.
Inspiration cookbook: Waffles: sweet, savory, simple by Dawn Yanagihara
Belgium Waffle Maker from Crate and Barrel
Special thanks to all the participants
Info to come...
A devised film created by Jen LaMastra, Kali Quinn, and Meg Massalone.
A review by Catherine F Norgren, Professor, Theatre and Dance The University of Buffalo:
"I have watched it three times. As always, you have taught me something. I always struggle in VI with time and motion as an element - and often ignore it with the excuse that theatre is a time-based art form, thus we deal with it 'naturally' and inevitably.
Maybe because the virtual/video world has become prominently 'only' and maybe because 'adjusting' is ubiquitous, your 8 minutes and 56 seconds of film have made me think about reality, fantasy, myths of origin, and the possibilities of using color, gesture, texture - and sound - to investigate the relativity of time and motion. HALVE compresses time, collages it, and makes it stretch and bend. Things that make you go "hmmm".
You have also taught me, reminded me, how very much I care about process, the compiling of ideas. I have been using the metaphor of an iceberg - as the work necessary in a design - and realize that even though I tell students nobody sees the 8 tenths of work under the surface, that is what interests me most. I am so glad to know even some of the stories behind the making of HALVE!"
A devised film created by Jen LaMastra, Kali Quinn, and Meg Massalone.
During the 2020 lockdown, four art friends came together and created a movable outdoor gallery for the community to enjoy. It made its debut at Sou Wester Arts week Residency by hosting local makers designs; and later went on tour around Portland Oregon. Bimble was hosted by these businesses: Tinys Coffee Shop, Rebuilding Center, Dots, Handsome Pizza, Lippmanns, Peoples Yoga, Main St Courtyard, Blue Sky Gallery. And featured these artists: Drew Laughery, Erinn Kathryn, Emily June Newton, LeBrie Rich, Naomi Wiener, Jackie Nash, Colleen Deignan, Jim Stewart, and Jen LaMastra
In the disguise of night, LaMastra rainbow crochet bombed these mundane grey stairs. Each stair was a different color and pattern. Acrylic Red Heart Yarn.
Carebear Stare Archway.
Purple Powercowl.
This piece is part of the SHE collection created in 2021 and displayed as a group show, “Power Positions: A dismantaling of Phallacies”
Materials:
Black sand
Acrylic paint
Hour glass
