One winter, over a decade ago, I was hunkering down to do some reading. I created a print called "catarchy." As winter 2025 approaches, I have been remixing previous images considering changes in our national and global landscape. We face daunting issues, not least of which include an accelerating climate crisis, famine, war, and a massive widening of wealth inequality. There is opportunity right now to ground ourselves in collaboration, to focus on our common ground.
I was raised with this Martin Niemöller quote on the wall of our kitchen, hanging next to the refrigerator and the telephone land line. I would notice it as I went for a snack, or talked to my friends (since this was before we had phones in our pockets). This quote reminds us to focus on standing together for justice and freedom for people everywhere, whether or not we are personally at risk.
Martin Niemöller was a Lutheran pastor in Germany in the 20th century. Initially he sympathized with Nazi ideas, but after Hitler came into power and began interfering with the Protestant Church, he became an outspoken critic of Hitler and was imprisoned. He narrowly escaped execution in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps, where he was imprisoned between 1938-1945. After the war, he expressed deep regrets about not having done more to help victims of Nazis, which is evidenced in these words which have become infamous:
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out- for I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out- for I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out- for I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me- and there was no one left to speak for me."
I hope to find these words in more kitchens, where we raise the next generation of kids to believe in and work for the protection of fundamental human rights. We can learn from the lessons of the past while we live in the present and create solutions for the future.
These are the first edition and are signed and numbered. They are printed in a teal color on tan or white paper. You choose a paper option.
Image is of a cat holding a book with a paw print on the cover. The cat has stripes along it's body, and some of the stripes turn into words. The words are the Martin Niemöller quote. There is a border around the image which has leaves at the bottom, and flowers at the top.
