Category: 2022

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Free Your Mind

Free Your Mind is a public textile art project aiming to collect, exhibit, embed and release personal narratives about Microaggressions in a multi-sensory installation facilitated by artist Theda Sandiford.

Microaggressions are subtle, intentional — and oftentimes unintentional — everyday interactions or behaviors that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages or assumptions toward historically marginalized groups. The weight of these daily interactions underpins very real consequences… stress, anger, frustration, self-doubt and ultimately feelings of powerlessness and invisibility.

This project intends to expose these interactions and provide a release for the participating individuals. Participants are invited to write a story about a microaggression they have experienced onto a ribbon and tie this ribbon onto a netto release this story from their personal narrative. This is a story ribbon.

The installation evolves with each new story ribbon, keeping a public record of disempowering interactions, that can be exposed and talked about. Participants have the feeling of being seen and acknowledged while interacting with the work. In the installation space, as visitors move throughout the space, motion sensors trigger monotone computer voice recordings of story ribbons.

In 2021 Free Your Mind toured, collecting story ribbons in Bayonne NJ, Jersey City NJ, Sunsets @ The Standard, Miami Art Week. In 2022 the installation will travel to ExpoChicago April 4-7 Navy Pier and will make stops in Brooklyn and Newark this year.

Free Your Mind
Free Your Mind – detail of Story Ribbons

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HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Interested individuals, institutions and businesses can support the project by engaging themselves and/or communities to collect story ribbons

SHARE YOUR STORY >>

Share a story about a microaggression you have experienced? How did it make you feel?

PARTICIPATE >> ONLINE HERE

OR MAIL STORY RIBBONS>>

Using a Sharpie, in two sentences (100 words max.) write your story on a ribbon

Mail your story ribbon to…

Project Free Your Mind c/o Sky Garden Gallery, 150 Bay St. PH9 Jersey City NJ 07302

Anonymous story ribbons and the textile artwork containing them will be shared on Instagram and www.thedasandiford.com.

Follow @misstheda and @skygardengallery on Instagram to get updates on this project and see your story in the installation.

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February Exhibitions/Up Next

Visions & Voices

I have been invited to show three works in The Biggs Museum of American Art’s juried exhibition, Visions & Voices highlighting the work of twenty regional African American artists of the Mid-Atlantic region.

Location: The Biggs Museum of American Art, 406 Federal St Dover DE 19901

Opening Reception: Friday, February 4, 5 – 8 PM

Pre-registration is free and strongly encouraged. Get your tickets HERE

Exhibition Dates: February 4, 2022 – May 21, 2022

Free Your Mind: Social Justice Public Art Installation

Free Your Mind is a collection of personal narratives. Participants are invited to share an personal experience with implicit bias to release this story from their personal narrative. Later, artist Theda Sandiford will weave these stories in the installations as computer generated voice recordings.  Motion sensors trigger these recording in the installation of the tapestry.

Share your Story here

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DJnPSUHid5xcthrbRXDLcP50tLUa0pf8l_cgSaXL5qw/edit

JC Friday Art Supply Swap

Do you have left over materials from an art project? Have WAY too much Cadmium White when you need Pastels? Do you have skeins of yarn you are not using? Or supplies from an art practice you no longer use?

Come to Sky Garden Gallery’s Art Supply Swap with your items and trade, them for something else.

March 4, 2022, 5pm – 8pm
Location: 150 Bay Street, Jersey City

Summit Public Art: The Baggage We Carry

Public Art Installation On View:  May 2021 – May 2022

Location: Summit Village Green, 356 Broad Street Summit, NJ 

Three Emotional Baggage Carts are on display for the next year. When the sun sets, the carts solarl panels light up and take on a new form, glowing from within.

The Baggage We Carry
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Visions & Voices – Opening Reception

Friday, February 4, 5 – 8 PM

Location: The Biggs Museum of American Art, 406 Federal St Dover DE 19901

This opening is a complimentary community event in conjunction with Dover’s Citywide Black History Month Celebration. Masks are required to be worn inside the museum; light refreshments will be served.

Pre-registration is free and strongly encouraged. Get your tickets HERE

Public Voice Award

One piece from Visions & Voices will be added to the Biggs’ permanent collection. You get to help us select the final work, I hope you pick mine. Members of the community will choose the artwork that the Biggs will purchase through a vote for the Public Voice Award. Visitors can vote in person through April 29.

Visions & Voices Exhibition Dates: February 4, 2022 – May 21, 2022

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JC Friday Art Supply Swap is Coming…

Do you have leftover materials from an art project? Have WAY too much Cadmium White when you need Pastels? Do you have skeins of yarn you are not using? Or supplies from an art practice you no longer use?

We’re on the lookout for art supplies that can be used by someone else. Marie Condo your art supplies and make room for more joy in your life.

  • Photo by Khaled Elbanna

Here is how it’s going down:

Start rummaging in your closet and pulling out supplies you want to get rid of.

Come to Sky Garden Gallery’s Art Supply Swap
March 4, 2022, 5pm – 8pm
150 Bay Street, Jersey City, NJ PH9, 10th floor

with your items and trade, them for something else.

DM your Questions to @SkyGardenGallery or @MissTheda on Instagram

Feel free to contact me about specific items I am currently sourcing such as colored T shirts, sheets, fabric, rope, beads….

Swapping starts at 5:00pm. See you then!

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Bottlecap Pearls

In 2020 my artist residency with NOW Friends in Nairobi Kenya was cancelled due to Covid.

I had spent 6 months preparing for this residency, learning Swahili, researching local artists, textiles, and beading techniques.

When I learned that travel would not be possible, I decided to use the time I would have been in Kenya to clean, drill and string thousands of bottle caps into larger-than-life strings of pearls and drape these necklaces on vintage ladders.

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Inspired By…

It is a wintery gray outside. So naturally, the colors of these recovered fibers is giving me of warm sunsets at the beach vibes. I can’t wait until I return to St. Croix USVI.

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Call For Materials

If you purging and are willing to part with any rope, fishing net, yarn and old old sheets, jeans, ties and colored t-shirts please let know.

I am currently sourcing for old clothes to be transformed into yarn for use in my upcoming projects.

  • Sunset Colors
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GI Josephine

Im feeling inspired to make dresses for these vintage GI Joes and pose them for photographs with mini shopping carts as a collaborative project with Donna Bassin.

What do you think?

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My 2022 Calendar .. so far

If you are a planner like me, here are some soft art dates to hold. Looking forward to seeing and art outing with you this coming year.

Signature Show

Exhibition Dates: January 16 2022 – February 27 2022, at Art 150 located 150 Bay Street, Jersey City. Enter at Provost and 1st Street.

The opening reception is Sunday January 16, opening reception from 2:00pm – 4:00pm.

Visions & Voices

Exhibition Dates: February 4, 2022 – May 21, 2022 at The Biggs Museum of American Art, 406 Federal St Dover DE 19901

JC Friday

Date: Friday Mar 4, 2022 at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City

Expo Chicago

The International Exposition Of Contemporary & Modern Art. Exhibition Dates: April 7- April 10, 2022 at the Navy Pier Chicago.

Spring Art Supply Swap

Date: Saturday April 9, 2022 from 12:00-3:00pm at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City.

Joyful Resistance Solo Show at The Contemporary Art Center

Exhibition Dates: April 22 – June 4th, 2022 at The Center for Contemporary Art , 2020 Burnt Mills Road, Bedminster, NJ 

International Sculpture Day

Date: April 30, 2022 from 12:00-3:00pm at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City.

World Collage Day

Date: May 14, 2022, from 12:00-3:00pm at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City

JC Friday

Date: Friday June 3, 2022 at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City

JC Friday 

Date: Friday September 9, 2022 at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City

Solo Show Ivy Brown Gallery

Exhibition Dates September 8 – September 29 Location:  675 Hudson St, New York, NY

JCAST: Jersey City Art & Studio Tour

Dates September 29- October 2, 2022 at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City

Holiday Card Making

Sunday November 13, 2022, from 12:00-3:00pm at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City

JC Friday

Date: Friday December 2, 2022 at Sky Garden Gallery, Jersey City

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Visions & Voices

I have been invited to show three works in The Biggs Museum of American Art’s juried exhibition highlighting the work of regional African American artists of the Mid-Atlantic region.

Visions & Voices

Exhibition Dates: February 4, 2022 – May 21, 2022

Location: The Biggs Museum of American Art, 406 Federal St Dover DE 19901

  • Porcupine Zip Tie
  • Boa Quill
  • Caribbean Friendship Bracelet