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Mandala for Marsha (5/10)

Digital & Analog Collage,  12"x12",  $300Known as the Rosa Parks of the Gay Rights movement, Marsha "Pay No Mind" Johnson was assigned male at birth but soon began to self-actualize, wearing clothing that matched her spirit. Growing up in an active church-going family, she remarked, "Honey, everybody goes, sooner or later. As I learned at church when I was five years old ... every day counts." Although her life was cut short like those of many trans women, Marsha made a difference in her community, our country and the entire world.

The artist marvels at the strength, vitality and kindness of Marsha P. Johnson visually connects her short life with that of Walt Whitman. Whitman wrote the lines of poetry included in the artwork:


When you read these, I, that was visible, am become invisible,

Now it is you, compact, visible, realizing my poems, seeking me:

Fancying how happy you were,

if I could be with you,

and become your comrade.

Be it as if I were with you.

(Be not too certain but I am now with you.)

As the poem indicates, the viewer's connection to history is a major theme of the series. We are connected to Marsha "Pay No Mind" Johnson's activism and sacrifice.

This piece is dedicated to iconoclasts like Johnson and DC Poet Michael Whelan, whose oral interview informed the development of this series. Both participated in the Stonewall Uprising.