What Are You Working On Now? Diane Bush, from the SEW CONNECTED Series

What are you working on now? is a Couch in the Desert series where we ask artists what they are making and thinking about in and outside the studio.

Diane Bush

The pandemic forced so many of us into isolation, and artists tend to be self-isolating, to begin with, so staying alive, and keeping one's immediate family alive took us to even greater depths of separation. On the heels of a successful run with my Make a Merkin Great Again fiber sculpture piss-take on American politics, I took up another fiber arts option (embroidery) to create another satirical project They Reap, While We Sew. That project then morphed into SEW CONNECTED, inspired by the TINY PRICKS project by the Canadian artist, Diana Weymar. But this time, I felt it was safe enough to return to the West Flamingo Yarn Bombing group I created, so I could get the seniors involved. This allowed me to end my self-imposed isolation that grew out of the need to allow my husband's Long Covid paranoia to play out. This group of fiber arts enthusiasts know I deliver on my promises, so they did not mind sacrificing a bit of time to do some word play (so/sew) on some vintage handkerchiefs I supplied, in exchange for a T-shirt with their final designs transferred, to keep as a thank-you.

In past artistic lives, I would have been too intimidated by the fine art establishment to sink to the "depths" of embroidering simple messages on hankies, but even getting elder women to think and act outside their normal box can be a revolutionary act. These women ALWAYS vote! And despite the normal taboos against talking religion or politics, they are not afraid to voice their disgust of the current state of the nation, when roused. SEW CONNECTED connected us all to something a bit larger than ourselves, and one senior's work was exhibited in an international on-line exhibit, based in London. (Creativity..., at the Royal Society of Art Cyber Cafe).

Augmented Society Network t-shirt specifically created for the Royal Art Society exhibit in London.

As always, my projects are meant to inspire other artists. I especially love community temporary public art (Amanda Browder!) My goal is to encourage artists to use humor, to get involved, to connect with community, and fearlessly fight to protect our democracy, establish REAL laws that protect and nurture us all, especially those marginalized by gender/race/age/disability/religion/culture/nationality...you name it!

Diane Bush, INFLATED DREAMS/BROKEN PROMISES, 2016.

Normally, in an election year, I would create an 11 month long satirical project leading up to the election, but brainstorming with myself has not produced any lightbulb flashes of brilliance, so I will continue making a monthly SEW CONNECTED fiber art based piece, through to election day, and maybe something will spark my creative machinery before November. My January "So Vote!" command is spelled "SEW VOTE" on a vintage art deco handkerchief. See attached

At 18, Bush emigrated to England because of the Vietnam War. After 10 years of perfecting her black and white documentary street photography, she returned to Buffalo. Bush earned an MFA from S.U.N.Y. Afterwards, she worked as a photographer at local TV affiliates while pursuing her art. Bush worked as Photography Department Coordinator at Villa Maria College for 6 years. While her students won prizes, Bush won awards from Kodak, Polaroid, Nikon, etc. Bush has exhibited/published locally, nationally, and internationally. Once in Las Vegas, Bush received 18 grants and a fellowship awards from the Nevada Arts Council. Bush’s 2006 monograph, WARHEADS satirizes news censorship of the Iraqi War. Her latest political satire has has morphed into fiber art, performance, sculpture and photography. Last year her humorous piece Make a Merkin Great Again showed in 31 exhibits that spanned the globe.

See more of Diane’s work on her website and on Instagram.

Images courtesy of the artist.

Posted and published by Lyssa Park on March 10, 2024