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Artivism

At the People's Climate March in New York 2014

System change for climate justice — Sow Resistance, disseminate alternatives!

I was among the many artists who joined the art team for the epic People's Climate March in New York on September 20th, 2014, and for the Flood Wall Street action the following day.

I also photographed the march, the direct action on Wall Street, and the general scene of art-making for the march at the convergence center at Mayday Space and Be Electric studios in Brooklyn, and pitched in with David Solnit and Amy Hutto in painting parachutes and banners with Climate Justice Alliance and others among the 800+ organizations who took part. 

Among the items I designed was this dandelion banner and series of dandelion seed graphics, silk screened on wearable cloth patches. 

The big dandelion is shown breaking through a system that is hard to crack, but which we believe is not invincible, with widespread resilient grassroots movements and the dissemination of alternatives.

The idea of the dandelion seed patches was that people wearing them at the march would initially be close to each other as they got distributed, but if later people dispersed (either forcibly through police intervention, or peacefully by themselves) the image of the seeds scattering would look expected and hopeful: each seed, each individual, would be carrying within them the full potential of the people-power they'd just experienced temporarily in the streets.

Half a million people came to the People's Climate March, and upwards of 4000 took part in Flood Wall Street direct action the following day. 

 
Mona helping with a parachute for the Indigenous Environmental Network
Mona helping with a parachute for the Indigenous Environmental Network
 
(this photo from unknown source)
(this photo from unknown source)
 
moment at the S20 march
moment at the S20 march
David Solnit with the <a href="https
David Solnit with the <a href="https
Silkscreening&nbsp;the flags designed by Seth Tobocman
Silkscreening&nbsp;the flags designed by Seth Tobocman
beneath a parachute
beneath a parachute
 
Amy Hutto, Mona,&nbsp;and Georgia Hirsty in Brooklyn, the week before the march
Amy Hutto, Mona,&nbsp;and Georgia Hirsty in Brooklyn, the week before the march
 
silkscreening dandelion seeds
silkscreening dandelion seeds
at Battery park about to flood&nbsp;Wall St.
at Battery park about to flood Wall St.

moment at Flood Wall Street
moment at Flood Wall Street
At dawn, the morning of the Peoples Climate March, indigenous leaders from across the world gathered in Central Park. In the foreground, Tom Goldtooth of the Minnesota Indigenous Environmental Network
At dawn, the morning of the Peoples Climate March, indigenous leaders from across the world gathered in Central Park. In the foreground, Tom Goldtooth of the Minnesota Indigenous Environmental Network