Cassandra Stancil Gunkel

Black Lives Matter / Racism Kills

An Exhibition of Fiber Art

June 16 - July 10, 2021

This exhibition has ended. View an album of images from the exhibition.

These exceptional works of fiber art will be on view in the Upper Burying Ground on the following dates:

Wednesday, June 16, 2021, 5-8pm: exhibition opening

Saturday, June 19, 2021, 1-5pm (Juneteenth)

Sunday, July 4, 2021, noon-4pm

Saturday, July 10, 2021 noon-4pm

Admission free (donations welcome)

Black Lives Matter / Racism Kills

Football player Colin Kaepernick really made us pay attention to professional football. In silence, he took a knee and lost his career to make people see. Black Lives Matter.

Images of Colin, along with Angela Davis, Trayvon Martin, Breana Taylor and George Floyd were the 5 prints carved and editioned for International Print Day on May 1, 2021. In this year’s litany of black lives taken, George Floyd was a grisly poster child whose murder inspired worldwide protests. The cop who leaned on his neck for 9 plus minutes extinguished the vibrant life of a loving dad, son, uncle, as if he did not matter. Black Lives Matter.

Breonna Taylor slept in her bed. Teen Trayvon Martin had a taste for Skittles. Before and after Floyd, scores of black boys and girls have been murdered by legally enabled cops. As if black children don’t deserve a future to flourish, be foolish, find themselves, become formidable. Black Lives Matter.

In 2020 the project Mapping Police Violence counted 1,127 citizens killed by police, most people of color. Since the 1960s, activist Angela Davis has proclaimed: Racism Kills. Black Lives Matter.

“Racism is so American, that when we protest Racism, people think we protest America.” Not my words, but a prevailing sentiment. Racism Kills, Black Lives Matter.

—Cassandra Stancil Gunkel

About the artist

Cassandra Stancil Gunkel is aging in place in creative, neighborly, historic Germantown. Her home studio is filled with supplies and tools for her fiber art, print making and book arts practices.

Learn more.