What was so patriotic about the Patriot Act?
This is the sixth artwork in my “Dog Envy” political series.
Patriotic Acting
My statement in 2005; have things changed much?
We are “fighting a war for democracy over there” but losing our own freedoms
back here. Our rights to privacy are in great danger as anyone, anywhere can
have their communications, financial records, and home life invaded. Every
week it seems another secret government operation is uncovered by our
still-free press – but the Checks and Balances of our Constitution have
disappeared in the cloak of the president’s wartime powers.
Wake up, Gold Dust! The bugs are everywhere! Your very insides are being looked at.
- 15.5" H x 27" W
- Cotton fabric, organza, color pencil, ink, plastic insects
- Appliqued, fused, pieced. Machine quilted, glued.
Notes on the quilting:
The gold text around the broken pyramid are the English translations of the Latin mottoes on the dollar bill:\
“He Has Favored Our Undertakings” and
“A New Order of the Ages”
The text on the red stripes reads Wake up and on the grey stripes reads Patriotic Acting.
Details
Patriotic Acting detail
After the 2004 presidential election, I looked at my greyhound Gold Dust, lying on the floor in the sun, and was envious of his obliviousness. That moment initiated a long series of politically-inspired quilts. Gold Dust became my ‘everyman’, the average citizen, a common patriot.