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Lark and Bower / Sarah Ward - 2020

During lock down, without a loom or studio, she started stitching small woven patterns by hand, using leftover yarn and a lot patience. What began as a way to keep going became a way of working.

Now, even with her full studio back, she still creates these tiny, time-consuming pieces. They're not made to be worn or sold fast, they're made to be seen, to remind us that weaving is an art, not just something for clothes. She uses waste yarn, old stock, and plant fibers to avoid adding more to the pile of fast fashion.

The animals have their own elevator, mini-TV, forge, bedroom and even a full bathroom with running water.

The other day we had this massive bearded dude, 6'3 linebacker style, walk right in and declare in a gruff baritone "My fairy wings didn't arrive in time. I need some backup wings." We offered a massive pair of feathered green wings; he tried them on (tiny) and said "A little high in the back, but I'll take 'em." On his way out, by way of clarification, he said "I'm Tankerbelle."

I love the goths, I love the middle-aged street-clothes ladies trying something different, I LOVE the little kids, but Tankerbelle will always hold a special place in my heart.

Kluwe was there to specifically protest the installation of a [massively cringe] pro-Trump plaque. Per ABC News: "Kluwe, a Huntington Beach resident, was protesting the council's decision to place a plaque commemorating the public library's anniversary. The plaque included the words "Magical Alluring Galvanizing Adventurous," an apparent nod to President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again slogan."

Kluwe was not just arbitrarily hauled off by cops for speaking out against Trump. If you watch the video until the end, you'll hear him announce his intentions to engage in the "time-honoured American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience." From there, he defiantly approaches the stage where the seven [aforementioned cringe, right-wing lunatic] Huntington Beach City Council members are all sitting, knowing full well that he is about to be arrested and charged with disrupting an assembly.

Thanks to this deliberate act of protest, some of Trump's 24/7 news blitz will now be interrupted by images of a former NFL player being carted away by a gaggle of dour looking cops:

(this is a good thing, if that's not clear; I feel like too many people have forgotten about the tactical use of arrests by activists, especially during the Civil Rights era, to highlight injustice or disrupt a media narrative)