Chronicles | Midyear 2022

Sub Rosa Support

$1.00

My intent for Sub Rosa is to provide access to curated information centered on art and activism. Valuing my time as an artist, I’ve been thinking of a way to offer readers the choice to pay for my chronicles. Below is an option to support my project for as little as $1 one time or however you’re comfortable.

All images by Alexandra Hulsey / embedded with source links.

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A R T

Favorites So Far

It's been a while, and I thought reconnecting via another chronicle made sense in the middle of the year. Maybe Sub Rosa is a bi-yearly thing now. Anyways, I'd like to share some of the art I've enjoyed seeing so far. Found in New Orleans Museum of Art this July, Dallas Art Fair in April, and Latino Cultural Center in May.

Some commonalities in these artworks below are that they're fantastical, colorful, shapely, entertaining, and offered me a much-needed pause.

Larry Bell, Pacific Red (VI), 2016-2017. New Orleans Museum of Art.

Gert & Uwe Tobais, I don’t Want Love, 2022. Cassina Projects at Dallas Art Fair.

Joan Miró, The Red Disk, 1960. New Orleans Museum of Art

Stefanie Popp, Obelism (Skilos), 2020. Keijsers Koning at Dallas Art Fair.

Michael Henry Hayden, Internal Clock, 2020. Moskowitz Bayse at Dallas Art Fair.

Vladimir Waone, Melody of Unkown Moments, 2021. Sapar Contemporary at Dallas Art Fair.

Areum Yang, Until I Find My Home, 2022. Derek Eller Gallery at Dallas Art Fair.

Carol Bove, Mood, 2017. New Orleans Museum of Art.

Kapoor, Anish, Untitled, 1997. New Orleans Museum of Art.

Elizabeth Osborne, Zinnias With Chair, 2017. Barry Campbell Gallery at Dallas Art Fair.

Raymond Yeboah, New Beginnings. Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, TX.

Fabian Treiber, This Place, 2022. Anat Ebgi Gallery at Dallas Art Fair.

100 W Corsicana

Located in Downtown Corsicana, 100 W Corsicana serves as a prestigious creative residency for rigorously working artists from visual to literary. I visited for the first time in May for 100W x 10YRS, a celebration of the conception of 100 W Corsicana. The building and its surroundings are hauntingly beautiful. It inspired me to continue a project I explored in college, where you ink up a portion of a textured surface, place paper on top, and press into it to make a monoprint.

The application for 2023 residencies closed on September 1st, and I’m eager to see the next cycle of artists.

100 W Corsicana

Downtown Corsicana

Downtown Corsicana

STOREFRONT

100 W Corsicana

100 W Corsicana

100 W Corsicana

100 W Corsicana

The residency also has a bookstore called STOREFRONT, where you’ll find literature and artwork by resident participants. I picked up Tatiana Ryckman’s I Don’t Think of You (Until I Do) and, more recently, Seven Samurai Swept Away in a River by Jung Young Moon.

Corsicana reminded me how much I appreciate old buildings and old things, which in a way brings me to our road trip to New Orleans.

New Orleans

I've been to NOLA a lot, in fact, twice this year already, but I visited the New Orleans Museum of Art for the first time in July. It's relatively small, and its curation is one of my favorites I've ever seen! The vibrant modern art galleries displayed household named heartthrobs from Warhol, Modigliani, Kasner, and Miró with many others to have a unique conversation I felt like I was a part of. At the same time, the contemporary gallery focused on new acquisitions of work by BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and female-identifying artists, which was badass in concept and execution. Outside was a massive sculpture garden that placed artwork complementary to the native swampy environment that felt otherworldly.

New Orleans has a lot of dualities to note, like placement/displacement, authenticity/facade, beauty/dismay, and stillness/chaos. I'm glad to have reflected on these this January and July, which felt especially meaningful in the context of 2022, if that makes sense. Some things feel new, some old, and there’s some new/old feelings, plus everything in between.

L O C A L

Dallas Artist Resources

Texas froze again in February, flooding circulated through the city in August, and temperatures reached as high as 109°F. throughout the summer, while the Dallas Climate Action seems over-ambitious for a city with 62 desert infrastructures.

One of the most significant ways individuals can make a change is to stop or cut down on meat and dairy in whatever way they can—also, taking agency on your own money. Consider alternative options for how much plastic accompanies what you're buying, what excess looks like for you, donating instead of throwing away, and research if the companies you shop at show actions against their role in climate change. 

M U S I C

Something to listen to post-storm

Chronicles | March 2021

A R C H I T E C T U R E

Roll Call

There are far fewer female architects than males, and an even smaller percentage are BIPOC. Deezen featured a list of women architects nominated by other women architects, and I added more names below. If you have recommendations, leave a comment on this blog or my Instagram post!

• AFN (Assembly of First Nations) is directed by Chiefs, advocating for Canada’s First Nations. In 2019 AFN assembled a team of Indigenous architects to design Indigenous Peoples Space, a safe gathering space for Indigenous Peoples and their government. The female architects working on the project are Eladia Smoke and Wanda Dalla Costa.

• Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao is motivated by social values. Her preliminary artwork will be on view at SFMOMA for the exhibit Tatiana Bilbao Estudio: Architecture from Outside In. 

• Samantha Josaphat established Studio 397 after becoming the 397th African-American female architect in the U.S. Alongside her practice, she is committed to inspiring generations through the Studio 397 community.

• Atelier Cho Thompson, founded by Christina Cho Yoo and Ming Thompson, expressed frustration with architects often not considering their work’s social impact in their 2020 Madame Architecture interview. They work against this notion with projects that highlight diversity.

F A S H I O N

How to Not Fast Fashion

Considering my wardrobe’s afterlife isn't second nature but, I’m practicing being aware of my environmental impact. NPR’s “5 Ways To Make Ethical Fashion Choices" offers a simple guide. The takeaways are; don’t consider your clothes disposable, switch it up by revamping what you already have, resell and donate instead of discarding, check if what you're looking for can be thrifted, and educate yourself on the impacts of the fashion industry. Good On You is a website that offers information on making ethical choices and is also an app you can download to explore what companies really up to.

M U S I C

I’ve made a playlist that makes me think about a snail taking a stroll through a zoo on a spring day.

P E O P L E

TW: Racism & Violence

Crimes against AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) in the U.S. have risen well over 100% in 2020, and many cases go unreported. USA Today’s “Asian Hate Crimes: How to be an Ally to the Community” is an article that lists productive actions to take. Below is a non-exhaustive list of small AAPI businesses to support, helpful resources, and AAPI historical figures.

Nguyen Coffee Supply was founded by 1st generation Vietnamese American Sahra Nguyen. The focus is on the direct farm-to-consumer trade and celebrating Vietnamese coffee culture.

When purchasing a Take Care sweatshirt, you receive access to a life coach session, and 10% of the proceeds will be donated to Mental Health America.

The photo book Chinatown Pretty, created by Andria Lo and Valerie Luu, celebrates Chinatown residents from the East to West coasts. 100% of proceeds go to Chinatown nonprofits when ordering via Bookshop.org. Each month the duo highlights a different nonprofit to donate to, currently Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Yobo Soju celebrates American and Korean culture through small batched soju made in New York. On their site, the company has collected 33 organizations to support.

There are many to show financial support for AAPI communities, do the research, and find what resonates or alternate monthly donations but here are the resources I’ve found. Anti-Asian Violence Resources is a great start.

This month, I learned about the following influential Asian American historical female figures.

Yuri Kochiyama’s activism began in Harlem during the 1960s. As a proactive member in many civil rights movements, she stated, “Racism has placed all ethnic peoples in similar positions of oppression poverty, and marginalization.”

Equipped with academic training, Grace Lee Boggs dedicated her life to social activism. She utilized her knowledge of philosophy to teach and mobilize fellow activists.

May Chen led the New York Chinatown strike of 1982. The call for worker’s rights, permanently impacted labor laws as the employers halted wage cuts, non-paid leave, hired translators, and offered English classes.

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Sub Rosa Support

$1.00

My intent for Sub Rosa is to provide access to curated information centered on art and activism. Valuing my time as an artist, I’ve been thinking of a way to offer readers the choice to pay for my chronicles. Below is an option to support my project for as little as $1 one time or however you’re comfortable.

Add to cart

Chronicles | March 2020

A R T

Making Art Digitally Accessible, Should Be More of a Effort Even Post-Pandemic

Many galleries are archiving their installations and artists’ talks on social media including Talley Dunn where the piece featured above by Francesca Fuchs is currently on display. A snippet from Fuchs’s exhibition statement reads, “Thickly oil-painted ceramics of mugs are paired with paintings of objects and paintings of paintings. Fuchs jostles images of last century stylizations with representations of classical art and the domestically mundane. From a framed image of the Pantheon in her childhood home to the unassuming mugs she uses to drink her daily tea, Fuchs’ subjects are drawn from her immediate surroundings.”

Realted, Glasstire published a new series called, Five-Minute Tours which features Texas-based exhibition walkthroughs. On a global scale, you can virtually tour internationally recognized museums by way of Google Arts & Culture.

D E S I G N

Yuko Nishikawa

Design Milk highlighted the work of multi-media artist Yuko Nishikawa this month, specifically noting her hand made ceramic lights. I enjoy her process of developing characters for each sculpture series and turning them into functional objects by adding lumination. See Keisha Badalge’s write up here to learn more about her process and collections.

Ryan Lawson

Being homebound has led me to delve deep into interior design references. Through this, I found the home of Ryan Lawson, a designer himself, featured in an Architectural Digest’s piece by Paola Singer titled, A Showpiece of Studied Juxtaposition in the Hamptons. Although I can get behind the simplicity of minimalism, I find the trend to be a little sterile because of how much I value using art, color, texture, and memorabilia in the home. Lawson’s house styled by Colin King and photographed by Chris Mottalini (who also photographed the images of Louis Armstrong’s preserved apartment in my last post) does a commendable job at blending minimal and maximal.

L I T E R A T U R E

Local Book Stores

D Magazine’s article features suggestions by Deep Vellum’s founder Will Evans. Out of his recommendations, Heather Harper Ellett’s East Texas-based fictional mystery, Ain’t Nobody Nobody was most compelling to me. Additionally, Deep Vellum is offering digital care package’s which include four digital books for $20. Keep in mind you can also order books online from local bookstores like Interabang Books and Half Price Books too. For art-related reads, I’ve been looking towards an article for Artsy, 13 Art Dealers Share the Books That Helped Them Navigate the Art World. For any other genres, I would suggest perusing NPR’s Favorite Books of 2019.

L O C A L

Small Businesses to Support

Aiming to help maintain small business during this time is a personal focus, D Magazine published a running linked here. WFAA also published one and I’ll feature places to support accordingly as well. While I look forward to expanding to this, any suggestions are warmly welcomed in this post’s comments. An item from a locally based candle shop I have my eye on is “Alexandra”, a candle made of Lavender & Vetiver from Old Flame Candle Co. The reason being, the vessel’s history of a 1970’s ginger jar, the combination of two of my favorite scents, and you know…its namesake. Yet I’m most excited about my new wallet by Admonish pictured below.

Its structure is minimal with black hand-stitched detail around the exterior. The color is a warm brown that transitions between patterns of dark clay, medium amber, and golden-toned highlights. Their small studio began in 2019 where they continue to focus on quality handmade leather goods.

M U S I C

Bob Dylan Knows About Dallas

There were plenty of releases that I had on repeat this month but I decided to showcase Bob Dylan’s Murder Most Foul. It’s his latest published song after eight years and resonates more like a spoken word poem. He speaks about the murder of JFK with clever metaphors, descriptive visualizations, and stories of sociologic happenings in the 1960s that are perhaps relevant now. All the while detailed references to Dallas interestingly intertwined.

You can view Dylan’s lyrics on Genius.

P E O P L E

The Strength of Mexican Women

Tw: Sexism & Violence

On March 9th women of Mexico, collectively protested Femicide resulting in over 80,000 participants leaving metro stations, offices, and schools void of their presence. Some companies were able to give women a paid day off in observance as the need to showcase the consequences of the rapid rise of Femicide is dire. I’d like to applaud all those that able to be involved by reflecting on the work of Frida Kahlo.

1. Self Portrait - Time Flies, 1929

2. Fruit of Life, 1953

3. The Suicide of Dorothy Hale, 1938

4. What the Water Gave Me, 1938

5. Still Life with Parrot and Fruit, 1951

P O D C A S T

If you’re looking for a podcast, I recommend Invisibilia published by NPR hosted by Alix Spiegel and Hanna Rosin. Its description reads, “Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. Invisibilia—Latin for invisible things—fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently.” Many of my personal project ideas stem from the sources presented in this series.