Greenwood Artists Fight Fascism with Flair and Community Support
Cody Skullcrusher and Corey Skullcrusher bookend their appliquéd guillotine at Greenwood Art Collective.
The Evergreen Echo
What do creatives who feel frustrated about fascism do? Build a lifesize cardboard guillotine!
At least, that’s what the artists at Greenwood Art Collective did—complete with cardboard appliqués.
Greenwood Art Collective is tucked away in a little alleyway; nondescript in its exterior, but inside is an explosion of expression. Wandering through the hall directs you from gallery to gallery, open only to the public during the monthly Greenwood Art Walk. Practically every art form is represented: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and a whole world of mixed media creations. There are seven different galleries to explore in the space, each with their own resident artists, but the Waiting Room was the main event of the evening, featuring an interactive guillotine.
Corey Skullcrusher, an artist with the Waiting Room, appeared in full aristocratic flamboyance to accompany their “monstrosity.” From dress to wig to bloody neck, Skullcrusher embodied beheaded nobility. The presence of such elegance brought forward a message of resistance. Skullcrusher explained that the guillotine was historically the most humane way to oust those who abused their power. While the golden cardboard guillotine may be a bit campy and cheeky, “it’s very specifically a message.”
The implication was clear throughout the gallery. Bead embroidery resembling dessert read out “let them eat cake.” Framed prints on the wall featured the phrase “Eat the Rich” alongside The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the iconic shark from Jaws. A representation of Princess Peach encompassed by fronds and “ImPeach” hung delicately on the wall. A zany appliqué on the side of the guillotine emphasized a golden middle finger.
Beyond the inclusion of this charming antic upon the towering cardboard structure, the other appliqués were replicas of decor seen in the Oval Office. Daria Penta, the innovator behind the guillotine adornments, recounted the process of sourcing photos in order to make cut files. “I found the image [of the appliqués] on the Home Depot website, [those in command] don’t care what they put up. They just want it to be gold, right?”
Penta pointed to the humor of the golden cardboard—regardless of it being a façade, the gold represents power. Even with appliqués bought from Home Depot in the Oval Office, the American people are expected to bend to the pretense of superiority. What happens when that notion is challenged?
“A couple months ago, one of my gallery roommates and I were like, man, we’re just really upset with the state of things, and it’s really hard to express that in a way that is productive,” Skullcrusher shared. With community involvement, the gallery found a way to help. As part of The Guillotine Show, Greenwood Art Collective collected cash and food donations for the Ballard Food Bank, as well as hosting a sock drive. As noted on their donation call, “It is not enough to call out the tyrants. We must also lift up the people.”
Art by Cole Jehle a.k.a. "Snacks"
The Evergreen Echo
While the guillotine took the spotlight of the show, nourishment of community was a constant underlying message. From the food drive to the subject matter of the art, this theme was consistent. In the corner of the gallery, there was a snack-filled wall with illustrations of hamburgers, hotdogs, eggs, waffles, and even hot sauce. Poised beside the wall was Cole Jehle, also known as “Snacks,” with a hand-built replica of a mini fridge used to house prints.
“A lot of [my art] is based on my life, my heritage, being Indigenous Mexican American. It’s a lot about the Americana experience in [...] what we learn from each other through food,” Snacks shared, “I wanted to do the interplay between how we share, and how we communicate as a community, and as a culture, as America.”
Snacks discusses the reality of what it means to be human and what it means to share space with one another. It would be a mistake to surmise this exhibit as simply another call against the current administration. It served as a reminder that coming together as a community is a necessity to combating fascism, whether during the French Revolution or in the present-day United States. Americans are facing division and must remember how to come together.
Over dinner, at an art show nibbling on morsels before being plunged into the makeshift guillotine, or raising funds for the food bank…Eating is at the center of building community, and building community is at the center of people power. A starved population is an obedient population. A nourished population can fight.
Pass the butter, split the bread, vive la résistance.
Sock drive basket
The Evergreen Echo
