I shared a special day last month with what turned into 15-20,000 fellow Vermonters - many of whom were women, who needed to share their concerns about their hopes and dreams for the future. No matter your background, age or ethnicity, you were drawn together to our capital, to be heard and to feel the camaraderie of so many others who echoed your values. You realized that the surreal election that ended with someone who has publicly spoken about enjoying taking advantage of women didn't feel American. It wasn't a political party thing - it was a human thing.
It warmed my heart to know that amidst leadership calls of fear and isolationism, of the president aiming to remove safeguards and lying to our nation's people, that we Vermonters didn't want to be isolated and we didn't want to be driven by fear. We cared. We marched. We made our views known.
It was democracy at its best. I believe we will be needing to keep the effort alive. Afterward, I painted the scene that filled my heart from that day and when some friends saw it, they wanted me to make copies, cards, prints so that they could share it with their friends. Well - I am in the process of figuring that all out and certainly plan to create some sort of way of donating proceeds to a nonprofit that supports women who need it.
I can update this blogpost on those details as I set it up. It isn't my best painting technically, but it touches a nerve inside those who were there. That's art, I guess!
- Lauren