Welcome to (Re)!
I am very excited to present a curated “journal of ideas” that is a meeting place of visual art, prose, science, and more.
The idea for this endeavor came about from my love of vintage clothing and found objects and the way in which one ‘re’cycles these objects, et al. to make them their own. This concept then grew from that which we acquire in this vein, to that which we create through our various art forms (and yes, science and math are considered here, to be ‘the application of creative skill and imagination’, as art is formally defined). All of the material presented incorporates a re-root word, such as relive, reinvent, reuse…into its framework in whatever way the artist chooses. And so, (Re) is a product of this expanded idea.
The journal, available monthly online, features the work of artists/creators/thinkers in various categories and I am honored to present their work within this forum.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explore this new and evolving (re)source.
I hope you enjoy the ride!
— Felice Neals
Writer, reader, photographer, dance devotee, film citizen, language-a-phile…
Reimagine the Day
Poetry
(Re)imagine
Kay Bell
Emergency Contact
Essay
(Re)assigned
Corinne O’Shaughnessy
To a Fly Inside in January/You Can Make Me Clean
Poetry
(Re)seasoning/(Re)cast
David Groff
(Re)present
Throughout my life, on so many levels and through so many experiences, I have felt the othering, the invisibility, the less-than-ing.
And now as a mother, educator, advocate and artist…through these various roles and lenses, I have dedicated and committed my voice, my teaching, my art to empowering myself and others through representation.
As a parent, I have nurtured my children and raised them to be confident, empathetic leaders. They are champions for social justice, at their schools and in our community. They realize that equitable representation of voices and experiences is the way forward.
As an educator, I support young designers, empowering them to express their authentic stories. We learn the tools and consider how we mindfully communicate what inspires us and how the representation of our authentic stories connects us to ourselves and others.
As an advocate, I support my community, using my voice to represent and amplify the voices and experiences that are too often overlooked.
As an artist, I use my platform to question how we view our relationship to fashion, the systems of fashion and the dominant White, Elite, Euro-centric standards of “beauty.” I seek to shift the narrative, by choosing with every brushstroke to represent different, diverse and glorious representations of beauty.
Through each sphere and each and every day, I use my power to represent my truth of what fashion, beauty, culture, community and connections mean to me.
#RepresentationMatters
Radiance
Digital artwork (Procreate)
Community
Watercolor/Pencil
Eid Mosaic
Watercolor/Pencil
Shireen Soliman is an Egyptian-American artist, educator, advocate and mother. Shireen teaches at both Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute, offering coursework centering on Fashion Design, Communications and Illustration. As a community leader and advocate, she sits on various boards and councils, representing and amplifying the voices and experiences of Muslim-Americans. Through the lens of Fashion, Shireen explores topics ranging from Muslim-American Identity, Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Intersectionality and Representation. “When we raise our collective consciousness around the power of fashion and style to express Narrative, Heritage and Identity, we can then reclaim and own that power to honor and affirm each of our beautiful and glorious stories.”
Tunes of Celebration
On November 7th, Joseph R. Biden was declared President Elect of the United States. When the people hit the streets to celebrate this hard-earned victory, music sounded from every corner, car horns blared, flags waved, cheers rang and hips swayed to the pulse of this new chapter in American history.
I was lucky enough to be in Central Park, the crossroads of all the city has to offer. Here, New Yorkers rose to the splendor of the moment with waves of applause, live jazz, and tunes of celebration that echoed throughout the lawns and paths from midtown to Harlem.
Here are some of the songs from what I will call the 11.7.2020 Central Park playlist.
Enjoy!
Sweet Dreams Are Made of This
Celebrate Good Times...Come On!
Giant Steps
Star Spangled Banner
OTHER STUFF
Here is where I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the (Re) contributors, the friends and family who support this adventure with their encouragement and guidance, Lori and Jim, the web consultants who are holding my hand as I build this site with no previous experience in the web tech arena, and the wonderful readers, who I hope will continue to follow our monthly content. Thank you! Merci! Gracias! Shukriya! Grazie! Obrigado! Xiexie! Amsegenallo! Asante! Shukraan!
COVER photograph by Felice Neals: Celebrating the (Re)birth of America.
When I saw this peace sign of paper flowers in a garden back in August, I thought, well, no matter which way it goes on Election Day, this will be the image for this month’s cover. In these changing times, I look to the words of poet, Joy Harjo from her book: Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings
The sun rose over the Potomac this morning, over the city surrounding the white house.
It blazed scarlet, a fire opening truth.
White House, or Chogo Hvtke, means the house of the peacekeeper, the keepers of justice.
We have crossed this river to speak to the white leader for peace many times
Since these settlers first arrived in our territory and made this their place of governance.
These streets are our old trails, curved to fit around trees.
ART photographs by Shireen Soliman.
TEXT photographs by Felice Neals
THANK YOU as always, to our Editor H.E. Fisher for her sharp eye and invaluable contribution. I could not have gotten this project off and running without her support and editorial expertise.
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Email: info@reideasjournal.com