Hello.
Some of you know us in real life, some of you don’t. Perhaps you have noticed that we have dialed back this project for the past year and a half or so. Here’s an update. We went through some major transitions, in the personal universe, the practical universe, and in the creative universe. After lots of thought and ruminating, we have decided to let this project go on as a solo project for Chris. It’s a strange feeling, for me, Katey, the person writing this blog post and the OG Society of National Industry person. I started this thing, made the lanterns out of my old printmaking scrap from college, turned it into an Etsy shop, and used it to escape an industry that took my mojo away from me. It gave me freedom to dictate how I wanted my life to look, and gave me the immense validation of creating work for others to enjoy, for people to give to other people. I got plugged into so much because of this project, and learned a lot about my creative process – what nurtures it, what harms it, what I want out of it. It has served me so well these past 5 years, and I am so grateful for everything I’ve learned and have been able to do!
At this point in my life, I am not interested in commerce having influence on my artmaking. I am pursuing work that integrates community building and education with art, and am focusing my energies on projects that build into that. I have also made the commitment to being more protective over my fine art practice – and need to devote time and energy into making pieces that are about expressing, purging, building, and inventing – without being concerned if an idea is profitable or functional. I need to make art for the sake of making art, and I need to build community to try and make the world brighter. I think Society was a good platform to discover these needs, and am so pleased it will continue under Chris’s solo direction. We have decided that this project will just focus on lanterns from now on, and that our zines and print pieces will be available on our own personal websites. Bansheehips.com for Chris and kateyrissi.com for me. Collaborative pieces from 2011-2015 can be found there too, on both sites.
I’ll still be making lanterns for fun from time to time, so if you ever want some Katey lanterns, just holler. Chris has moved to Corvallis, Oregon and is setting up his studio space this summer. He’ll be slangin’ lights at shows in Oregon eventually, but in the meantime, check out the shop, as he’s put lots of good styles back up. If your friend is getting married or your aunt is having a sick birthday party or something, consider getting some lanterns. Chris loves making them and I think people like receiving them.
Thanks for all of your support over the years, you guys are fucking cool and wonderful and we appreciate you more than you know. This is hard but its gonna be good.
Until the next project,
Katey