Hello readers, sorry it has been so long, living life and all that stuff. I could go on but I’d rather just start posting about amazing and important projects others are doing in lieu of my creative absence!
The timing is impeccable because I just received an email from my former professor at Columbia College Chicago’s Book and Paper MFA program (and always friend!), Melissa Potter. She and two of my other professor/friends, Miriam Schaer and Clif Meador, spent their winter break in the Republic of Georgia teaching art workshops to women of all ages, particularly in artistic bookmaking and wool felting, the latter of which is a traditional art and craft form for the Georgians. This was facilitated through The Women’s Fund in Georgia, a feminist organization dedicated to providing educational programs and feminist support to women in the region.
The reason for her email, however, was urgent. The Women’s Fund in Georgia is at risk of being evicted. Mel’s words put it best:
“Our partners at Women’s Fund in Georgia are being evicted by a landlord who does not want “homosexuals and feminists” in his building. This is an extraordinary group of people fighting for the rights of women in a country where upwards of 92% of women are domestically abused.”
As it is apparent, feminist ideology and women fighting for equal rights is not looked upon favorably in the Republic of Georgia, and the actions of the Women’s Fund are a greatly needed resource.
If you have the ability to do so, please donate to The Women’s Fund in Georgia so they can move their activities to a safer space. If you can’t donate then please SIGNAL BOOST this post so more people can become aware of this fantastic organization.
To read more about the programs that Melissa Potter, Miriam Schaer, and Clif Meador conducted during their stay and to learn more about the situation in Georgia and the women operating The Women’s Fund in Georgia, their project has a Tumblr blog called Felt Reports.
((Photograph courtesy of FeltReports))
![New Koshka contributor, Karolis Kaupinis of Lithuania, sent me a link to this photo. The Wikipedia caption reads, “Rūpintojėlis (“sorrowful Jesus”). The image of Jesus seated with his face on his hand is a common one in Lithuania. Apparently it’s a result of the combination of pagan tradition (totem poles, expressionist woodwork, etc) and classical Christian symbols. Some say the Lithuanians were never fully converted.”
Karolis wrote, “Anyways, the Latvia Issue of your zine really gladdens me. I’ve been recently thinking [the]Baltics have become one of those boring places in Europe in the positive way of this definition as nothing decently bad is happening and we’re melancholically contemplating as it’s popular here.”[link to photograph]
I think that’s one way to consider it, although I find the Baltics to be a really interesting place to visit and meet people who have lived there all their life. Coming from a huge country, small countries definitely have their perks and their problems, but there’s a general specificity to certain things that the US lacks.
I’m happy to have made connections with Karolis, and I’ll be posting some of his short films and writing in the coming weeks. He also wrote a great article that will appear in Koshka #3!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_makmp8l2my1qdqn05o1_500.jpg)
