Liberty Snakes for All that is being Taken Away

Our former governor, Niki Haley, was always trying to cut off funding for the South Carolina State Arts Commission, which receives funding in part from the National Endowment for the Arts. Many artists and art supporters rallied against this and won. Six years ago I too, wrote letters and attended the Arts Advocacy Day carrying a large snake that Julia Wolfe and I had painted in her studio. The snake sign says "Don’t Tread on our Arts." We had a lot of fun with that snake at the State House as it was long enough to throw over a balcony to protesters on the other side of that balcony. It created an arch that legislators were obliged to walk under (Some of them got scared and took the long way around).

After the rally I gave the snake to the arts commission, thinking that I would never use it again. Was I ever wrong! It appears that we are now in need of many more "Liberty Snakes." I calculate if I painted one for every liberty that is now being threatened on a national level, it might require about a hundred or more snakes. So I have begun the task of creating them.

The rattle snake as a symbol of American protest is very old, as the rattle snake is indigenous only to North America. The very first political cartoon was of a snake divided, made by Benjamin Franklin, who had also apparently taunted the British with a tongue in cheek comment that he would ship our rattle snakes to them.  http://www.foundingfathers.info/stories/gadsden.html

The "Don’t Tread on Me" slogan is probably familiar to all, from the famous early Gadsden flag featuring a coiled up snake. Most of my own three dimensional snakes then, will carry the words "Don’t Tread On...." followed by whatever it is that lawmakers wish to take away from us. It seems to be much these days...the environment, climate science, civil rights, LGBT rights, reproductive rights. The list is endless. My drawing draft is just a rough mock up of some of the things the snakes could say. I welcome any more suggestions.

I have just enough muslin to make three long snakes. I could use more if anyone wishes to join me, please. I’ve begun to paint the "skins" downstairs in my studio by stretching the muslin across a long sheet of plywood and sizing with gesso. I apply a color texture with acrylic paint and stamped designs using bubble wrap. Because I am so bad at lettering I’m using stencils for the words. ( Dang that I left out the "t" in don’t on the "Don’t Tread on Our Humanities" sign and had to squeeze it in after the fact!).

I am open to suggestions and any offers of help for my Liberty Snake project. I am still a bit too much on the feeble side to attend long rallies personally but may in the future. Until then I could possibly lend the snakes out. Arts Advocacy Day in Columbia SC is coming up soon. I hope I have a snake ready.  Below is my snake, yet to be stuffed and sewn up.  That is why he still looks like someone really has tread upon him.