Ginger Networked feminism
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MISSION
LEIGH SUGAR LAUREN BANKA
JOEY BEHRENS
Ginger maps networks of creative people. In keeping with the logic of a network, all of the contributors to this issue were referred by an editor or contributor from a previous issue. As a feminist publication, we are committed to supporting the work of self-identified women and queer/trans/gender non-conforming individuals and strive to share the experiences and distinctive voices of those who identify as such. Our goal is to produce a zine with a diverse range of forms, content, and viewpoints.
• ISSUE 1 • ISSUE 2 • ISSUE 3
KAITLIN McCARTHY
HAYLEE EBERSOLE
AMANDA LÓPEZKURTZ
JAN TRUMBAUER
• ISSUE 4 • ISSUE 5 • ISSUE 6
JESSICA LAW
JILLIAN JACOBS
MICHAELA RIFE KASIA HALL
JENNIFER WEISS
NATALIE EICHENGREEN
ALEXIS CANTU
JACQUELINE MELECIO
MIMI CHIAHEMEN
GRACIE BIALECKI
MARIA R. BAAB ELAINE HEALY
LIANA IMAM
MARISSA BLUESTONE
JESS WILLLA WHEATON
SONYA DERMAN
WOLFGANG SCHAFFER
CARLA AVRUCH
LA JOHNSON
DELILAH JONES KATIE VIDA RACHEL WALLACH
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ARIEL JACKSON LAUREN ARIAN
KATIE FORD
ASHLEIGH DYE
HARRIS BAUER
YI-HSIN TZENG NANDI LOAF
RACHEL ZARETSKY IVY HALDEMAN
CLAUDIA GERBRACHT SAM CROW
ENA ´ SELIMOVIC
ELIZABETH SULTZER
SOFIA PONTÉN
HANNAH RAWE
HERMIONE SPRIGGS
LAURA COOPER
FREDRIKA THELANDERSSON STEPHANIE VON BEHR
LEIGH RUPLE
MARKEE SPEYER
JACQUELINE CANTU
ALEX CHOWANIEC
ABIGAIL HENNING
MOLLY HAGAN
CAROLINE LARSEN KATHARINE PERKO
ANNIK HOSMANN
LAURA PORTWOODSTACER
JESSICA PRUSA
CAITLIN WRIGHT JOLENE LUPO
NATALIE GIRSBERGER LAURA McMULLEN
MOLLY RAPP
SARA LAUTMAN
RACHEL BRODY
EMILY ROSE LARSON
DOROTEA MENDOZA
INDIA TREAT
MARIA NIKOLIS TIFFANY SMITH
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Artist Name Project name
Tktk Issue NO 6 contributors Stephanie Von Behr & Abigail Henning .... PAGE 07 Sara Lautman .... PAGE 12 Ariel Jackson .... PAGE 15 Elaine Healy .... PAGE 22 Hermione Spriggs .... PAGE 29 Caroline Larsen .... PAGE 41 Maria Nikolis .... PAGE 45
Co-founders E D I TOR
Markee Speyer D E SI G N E R
Jacqueline Cantu
On the cover: Untitled, by Maria Nikolis
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Stephanie Von Behr & Abigail Henning What Lights You Up?
When my friend Alex Chowaniec nominated me to contribute to Ginger, I felt so excited by the prospect of creating a new artwork. Alex and I attended San Francisco Art Institute together, so I saw this as a mini challenge to try to get back into my studio art practice. After leaving San Francisco, I continued to make work, but also found inspiration in curating, organizing exhibitions, and helping artists communicate their vision to the world. Currently, I manage a contemporary art gallery in Berlin and I view the business side of the art world as a creative pursuit as well. When Alex visited Berlin recently, we discussed an all female video art curatorial project that I am working on and she told me about her plans to exhibit new sculptures at an amazing space in New York. I am energized by my female friendships and gain so much through sharing ideas and our mutual empowerment. For this reason I have decided to interview Abigail Henning, who is a dear friend and life design coach, who started a beautiful empowering company called Roseminded. To begin our conversation we created a mind map of what lights us up. A mind map is an easy tool for reflection and a good way to get into a positive and creative flow.
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Stephanie: How did you come to form your company Roseminded? Abigail: I went through a powerful transition a few years ago. I had ended a longterm relationship and resigned from my longterm job as a project manager at a tech company. I was overwhelmed living in NYC and felt like a lot of my foundations were crumbling around me. And there was this moment where I decided to break open, rather than break down. I went back to school to study psychology and created Roseminded to help others see the opportunity and possibility that transitions can provide. Rather than feeling lost in uncertainty, I empowered myself through self care and self awareness and created something authentic. Do you find self-care and self awareness fun and interesting? S: Absolutely, it helps me live in the moment and not get trapped in past or future tripping. A: I really want to help make this process of life design accessible and approachable - you can rediscover so many great things about yourself! Have you found that to be true in our conversations? S: Yes. I came to realize how powerful I truly am in business, management, and communication. I’m really proud of the transitions I have gone through and how I continue to evolve and grow. It keeps life interesting! A: I love that you recognize how powerful you are. I think selfreflection really does empower us all. I remain in awe of your ability to connect and communicate. You are a natural community organizer! S: What was the biggest obstacle in starting Roseminded and what are some aspects you have already chosen to let go of? A: Fear! It is always about facing down your fear, you know? Self doubt, comparing yourself to others, the anxiety that ‘I’m not enough’. I work hard to let go of how I should be acting, of what I should be doing and find space for my authenticity. And with each evolution of the practice I’ve made, from private coaching to workshops, I have to own my fear. S: What do you mean by your own fear? A: Fear is designed to stop us from growing and I had to learn to work with it rather than against it. Over the last few years of starting Roseminded, I’ve learned how to interact with my fear and anxiety differently - I can embrace it and nurture it to a place where it is not so powerful. I’ve learned how to allow myself to be vulnerable by focusing on these three things: self care, creating values and setting intentions. I go back to this formula each time I try something new - in life and work. S: That is great- setting intentions is so helpful! For people who haven’t done a lot of therapy, coaching, or even self reflection how would you tell a beginner what to do in order to get clear on intentions?
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A: Well, the first thing to know about coaching is that its not about me telling someone what to do. Everyone has their own unique set of answers, even if they don’t think they do. There are lot of fun and easy exercises designed to help you open up so we can find that authentic voice inside. Like our mind mapping before this interview - we have to find ways to become comfortable with ourselves and our creativity. S: We have worked together unofficially as peers for over a year now and what has impressed me the most is that you are a real person. And I think a lot of people are scared to meet with a coach or therapist because they are somehow on this pedestal. But you have the same challenges as the rest of us. It’s like you have created a system of managing everything that comes your way - do you think it takes a certain type of person to adopt these tools? A: I’m so glad you said that. I’ve definitely made the choice to keep growing and learn how to interact with life differently, but it certainly doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing all the time. There is a time and place and possibility in everything we do. And so I believe the only requirement for creating your authentic life is that you are open and willing to participate in life. By the way, I think you are a perfect example! Do you feel like life’s challenges have become easier to meet? S: You know it has! I stole your mantra, but really you generously offered it to me: “I pray/wish/hope for the greatest good.” I know it may sound corny to readers out there, but I love this. It helps me become less attached to outcomes, but rather to living the day and enjoying the process. A: I love that. For me, life is about growing and evolving. And when a person decides to invest in themselves and to grow and share their light it can have a ripple effect. All that goodness can reach far corners! As you spend time ‘lighting yourself up’ have you seen this ripple effect in action? S: Actually today my husband called me and was really upset because he found out that he has to move out of his work studio and on top of it he hurt his back and his phone wasn’t working. I was able to be calm and truly present for him. It was amazing, I even surprised myself! I knew it was all manageable and that one by one we can deal with any problem that comes our way. We (my family and I) have so much to be grateful for. A: That’s awesome. I can’t be positive all the time. It is not authentic for me (laughs). But I can focus on the possibility to grow and choose my next right action, no matter how big or small. S: Actually, thats one of the best things I have taken from our talks, that I always have the power to turn any situation into a positive or negative one. That is the choice I have in life. Ah, just saying that makes me feel so good! I always have a choice. I am creating such a beautiful life through my friends, family and work and I choose to focus on that.
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A: Understanding that choice and the privilege of that choice is such a powerful perspective to adopt. It will make any failures or challenges much more manageable. S: But failure is good, isn’t it? A: Yes! Failure is growth and even failure can light us up. Like I said before, when I felt like everything was falling apart in my life, I chose to break open to possibility and learning. My whole life changed in all these amazing and beautiful ways when I took ownership over the process. I’ve remained so interested in finding that balance between trusting life and participating in life. There is a sweet spot! S: But failure doesn’t really light you up at first. How do you deal with a client who is in the throes of failure? A: I validate the pain or disappointment of a perceived failure. Growing pains are real! I try to help clients find a new perspective or acknowledge what they have learned But you and me, we are not our failures and as a coach it is my job to remind clients of all the good they are. After validation and reflection we can map out the next right action and move forward confidently. Everyone needs a reminder of what lights them up. I feel like thats what we do as friends at least once a week. S: Yea, I love that, you light me up Abigail! I’m really happy you moved to Berlin. A: And you light me up. This is what life is about, don’t you think? Connecting to ourselves and finding ways to connect to others. It’s like a spark!
Stephanie von Behr received an MFA from San Francisco Art Institute in New Genres (2010) and a BA from New York University in Studio Art and Eastern Philosophy (2001). After finishing graduate school, she became the Curator of the Big Screen Project in NYC, where she worked with hundreds of artists, produced exciting events and created strategic partnerships. In 2012, she was awarded a residency at the Watermill Center’s International summer program in New York, where she met her German husband. As a native New Yorker with absolutely no German language skills, she took a leap of love and moved to Berlin. She currently manages a new contemporary art gallery, Magic Beans, representing international emerging talent. She is always on the quest for exciting collaborations, curatorial adventures and finding new ways to communicate more effectively. Abigail Henning graduated from Trinity College and spent several years working in sales and marketing for major publishing houses in New York. In 2009 she joined a fast growing and exciting technology start-up where she thrived in sales and project management. Upon resigning in 2014 she spent time in London studying Positive Psychology and coaching with one of the UK’s top professional coaches and founded Roseminded Life Design. Abigail is grateful to have found a career in coaching that allows her natural strengths and passions to flourish while empowering others to live their best life. Stephanie and Abigail met on one chilly New Year’s Eve in New York City and now they get to spend time together regularly in Berlin.
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Sara Lautman
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Sara Lautman is a cartoonist, illustrator, and editor based in NYC. I’m her. I draw editorial comics, cartoons and illustrations. Sometimes I write with just text and no pictures. Usually there are at least some pictures. The New Yorker, Jezebel, The Pitchfork Review, The Believer Logger, Tablet, The National Lampoon, Electric Literature, The Awl, The Hairpin and The Comics Journal are some of the blogs and magazines that have published my drawings. • saralautman.com
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Ariel Jackson The Blues Data Crop: The Gains and Losses of Black Farmers in America, 2016
Jackson’s installation in the Sunroom stems from research she has conducted in an attempt to understand her family’s history, particularly beginning in the 1950s, when her grandparents acquired and then eventually lost nearly 300 acres of farmland in rural Louisiana. A collage of photos of her grandparents and other family members working on the farm has been silkscreened onto three quilts, using a printing technique that only allows a 30 to 50 percent chance of yielding a clear image. As a result, many of the photos are ghost-like or obscured in black ink. The reasons for the loss of her ancestors’ property have not been determined or well-documented, and the printed images reflect the artist’s frustration with having to piece together a narrative from hazy memories and incomplete information. In addition to these quilted wall hangings, rows of fabric sculptures inhabit the floor of the Sunroom. Resembling crop formations, these sculptures were made from clothes and other fabric that her grandmother used. Atop the fabric “leaves” of each sculpture, the artist has printed notes from Pete Daniel’s 2013 book Dispossession: Discrimination against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights, which formed the core of Jackson’s research. As visitors walk through the rows of “data crops,” they are immersed in the fraught history of land ownership and sharecropping by black farmers in this country. —Gabriel De Guzman Jackson is a recipient of Wave Hill’s 2016 Van Lier Visual Artist Fellowship. All photographs by Stefan Hagen in the Sunroom Project Space, Wave Hill, Bronx, NY.
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The Blues Data Crop: The Gains and Losses of Black Farmers in America, 2016; Typewriter & Silkscreen Ink on Muslin, Found Fabric, Wire, and Filler on Wooden Dowels, Soil; 108 in x 48 in x 84 in
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Above: Installation Detail View Upper Right: Missing Data Quilt #1, 2016; Silkscreen and found fabric on Muslin; 47 in x 34 in x 2 in Lower Right: Installation Detail View
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Left: Missing Data Quilt #2, 2016; Silkscreen and found fabric on Muslin; 34 in x 18 in x 2 in Below: Missing Data Quilt #3, 2016; Silkscreen and found fabric on Muslin; 60 in x 45 in x 2 in
Ariel Jackson earned a BFA at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Studio Museum in Harlem and Susan Inglett Gallery, New York, NY; The Bronx Museum of the Arts and BronxArtSpace; Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA; the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit; and Art Salon Gallery, New Orleans, LA. Jackson has participated in the Bronx Museum’s Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) program, the Lower East Side Printshop’s Keyholder Residency, the Bruce High Quality Foundation’s Summer Emerging Artist Residency Program and The Laundromat Project’s Create Change Residency, all in New York, NY.
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Elaine Healy Luxury styles for the minimal bohemian
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PHOTOGRAPHER: DANA BROEKER • DANABROEKER.COM MODEL: MARIE MASHYNA • MARIEMASHYNA.COM
Elaine is a fashion & apparel designer based in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. With dual Bachelor’s degrees in Fashion Design & Printmaking, she is interested in the intersection of personal style & fine art. Inspirations include texture & manipulation of raw materials, the human body & organic forms, technology & mapping, repetition & sound. • elainehealy.com
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Hermione Spriggs DUST (waste material, self-hypnosis)
A three day event in response to exhibition ‘Gust’, occupying the time and space between de-install and re-install at Global Committee, New York, 2015 To exist as the sensitive film that Gust blows onto. To live for three days as a pile of dust. “Gusts of wind, gusts of emotion, gusts of scent: all arrive when they please and stay only briefly,”
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Hermione Spriggs is an artist and writer based in London. She holds an MFA from UC San Diego and an BSc in Anthropology from UCL. Whilst often engaging in collaboration with other artists and specialists external to the art world, her own research is dedicated to articulating and propagating a practice-based field known as The Anthropology of Other Animals (“AoOA”). • anthropologyofotheranimals.wordpress.com • hermione-spriggs.com
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Caroline Larsen
Bermuda Triangle, Oil on Canvas, 31 x 27 inches, 2016
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Above: Fan Dance, Oil on Canvas, 27 x 31 inches, 2016 Left: Lush Life, Oil on Canvas, 40 x 50 inches, 2016
I make paintings using a variety of painterly tools. I squeeze paint from a bag, use sponges, squeegees and palette knifes for certain types of texture, as well as using traditional brush handling. I use the memory of landscapes and imagery that I experienced while a child and living in Sarasota, Florida as a springboard. I create images that evoke a celebratory tropical frenzy. My interest in tropical landscapes stems from my lived experience growing up in Florida and spending time in Panama as an adult. I believe that my paintings are a true representation of myself, they are autobiographical. My work plays heavily with pattern, decoration and the ornamental. A constant focus of all of my work is the attentiveness to color and its role of imparting feeling. Another thread that runs throughout the work is the investigation of kitsch, the color palette informing this. • carolinelarsen.com
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Maria Nikolis Mother May I
Eating at the Kitchen Table
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Clockwise from left: Car Scene, Untitled, Refrigerator Scene.
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Clockwise from left: Curls and Sandcastles, Shower Scene, Untitled.
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Maria and Erini’s Feet
Maria Nikolis earned a BFA Degree in Photography from the School of Visual Arts. She currently lives and works in NYC. • www.marianikolis.com
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