Olly, Olly Oxen, free, free, free

“In times of dread, artists must never remain silent." Toni Morrison

"Olly olly oxen free" is a phrase used in children's games to indicate that players who are hiding can come out into the open safely.  The origin is believed to come from the image of Jesus standing over the gates of hell, calling out this phrase. This vision is often depicted in medieval art. It is a call to safety, and means that all who are out are forgiven and may come in without penalty. Now, while we know Trump is so dangerously close to winning, it is not at all safe to come out in the open...And yet more than half the country still say they want him as their president…they ignore his stupid vitriol towards every group of immigrants, his misogyny and disrespect of women, his racist remarks about anyone of ANY color…he flaunts his love of Hitler, and fascism, he is a pathological and dangerous vindictive narcissist and yet STILL they want him (dang, I so regret those two stupid shooters that missed)…maybe instead of questioning his adoring fans, we should just let them have their way and sit back and watch the MAGA destruction unfold, as no doubt it will. I’m starting to think that maybe we deserve it, maybe we are so broken we need a civil war and break off into two countries. I am half expecting God to come down and instruct one of us to build an ark! I am in my little ‘California  bubble’ where it is easy to believe Kamala will win the popular vote in a landslide.  But, then I am reminded of sitting in my dormitory lounge in 1968 watching the election results come in…We were all so confident McGovern would win we barely watched the TV…we were partying, excited, getting stoned and I was high as a kite when the reality brought us down fast as one by one  the states kept flipping red after red after red…how is this even possible???  We had to eventually acknowledge an historical bloodbath that was taking place right before our red eyes.  This was AFTER the Watergate break in and I remember feeling so confused that there were so many people STILL willing to vote for Nixon, after knowing he was involved Never before has a president won so decisively with such overwhelming popular vote.

These last few days are the worst…I am binge eating, binge watching junk TV (I love you Simon Baker), finding myself just wanting to stay home, in bed, curled up in a little ball…what is the proper name for those roly poly bugs that curl up when touched? Yeah, that’s me. To my surprise, this defense mechanism has a name…conglobation, which is a big, fancy word that means "to form into a ball." Sphere’s in nature are important, Essentially, the spherical shape minimizes surface area and maximizes volume, making it the most stable form in many natural situations…a safe, protected space in uncertain times. But, as artists, we can’t afford to stay curled up into little balls.

As Toni Morrison says, “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That's how civilizations heal”. The artist is not born to a life of pleasure. He must not live idle; he has a hard work to perform, and one which often proves a cross to be borne. He must realize that his every deed, feeling, and thought are raw but sure material from which his work is to arise, that he is free in art but not in life.

So I write, you paint…this is NOT the time to sit back and wallow in our anxiety and/or sadness. Remembering Martin Neimoller:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Should Trump prevail, (spit three times now) it will be the responsibility of all artists to rise up…use your voice and your art, take to the streets…I am talkin’ about a revolution, baby! And, if all else fails, come join me in San Miguel de Allende!

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Image courtesy of Liu Bolin. For more information https://www.liubolinart.com/