We can’t have a hub without art!
Editor’s Note: Kate Ericksen is a coordinator of Sunrise Movement Baltimore Hub’s actions team, and is also the artist who creates most of our protest art. I asked them to describe some of her favorites and am delighted to show them off here.
I first saw Kate’s art when I attended a climate strike in downtown Baltimore in September 2019. I wasn’t yet a member of our hub, so I don’t remember who handed us some strike posters at the beginning, but somebody did. The wind turbines were cute on the felt-marker hill they had drawn, like giant clovers. Just the right tone. Now that I’ve seen much more of their work, what shines through for me personally is how they convey urgency while being also upbeat. The protest art is both inciting and soothing.
I can’t speak for everyone in our hub about why they personally love Kate’s art, but we all certainly do, and we hope you enjoy this little sample here.
By Kate Ericksen
Kate explains: “Many people have aptly been drawing the connection between the COVID-19 crisis and the climate crisis. If one thing has become clearer than ever, it’s that our personal health, our families’ health, our communities’ health, and our world’s health are all wrapped up in one big, tangled web. This piece was inspired by the people I’ve seen who have only become more committed to this web of humanity during this time — people who have stepped forward to continue fighting for justice and compassion while still practicing social distancing. Even though we aren’t in the streets, we are in our homes, protesting and organizing and taking care of each other. I hope to continue this solidarity in the long fight ahead for climate justice and a Green New Deal (with universal health care!). I included two crows in the top right of this piece; crows are often thought of as symbols of death, but few know that they are also symbols of creativity and transformation. It is undeniable that this is a moment of great transformation for our world. Working together, we will make sure we transform it for the better. After all, the only way out is with each other.”
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Kate explains: This is the flyer for the second climate that the Sunrise Baltimore hub held on December 6, 2019. Our movement’s intention is clearly stated: “we won’t stop striking until climate justice is a reality”.
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Kate explains: This is the flyer for the first climate strike that the Sunrise Baltimore hub ever held on September 20, 2019. It was part of the largest worldwide climate strike in history, and featured a mass school walkout by Baltimore students.
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Editor’s Note: One more before we go. This is a shot we took of Kate’s work during the art build for the December strike. It feels awful to be shut in now, but looking at this picture now brings back those feelings of excitement we felt leading up a climate strike. We are going to get back out there again soon. We will pack War Memorial Plaza. We will be heard. And, we will force change.
