Big News: Elephant & Dove Designs Teams Up With Picardo Colors

Cuatros Milagros by P I C A R D O

It is with great excitement that I announce this partnership with Dominican artist Erick Picardo to bring you his amazing art. The new P I C A R D O gallery has been launched!

P I C A R D O is a multi-dimensional artist, combining painting, mixed media, music, and dance into a blend that serves his community, builds bridges, and preserves Dominican island and diasporic cultures. I have been a fan for several years. He is an active community member, leads the Caribbean Nexus aka The Caribbean Coalition for the Arts & Culture West Michigan, and works extensively with local students to promote and teach the arts. You can learn more and view his work and events by visiting and liking his Facebook page, Picardo Colors.

Please bookmark the P I C A R D O Gallery for continuing updates on work for sale!

The Big Fundraiser to Get Me to the AMC!

In case you missed the last post, I am currently trying to fundraise to get myself an my teen son to the Allied Media Conference in June. The AMC is a gathering of various independent media makers, artists, and community activists. It is completely a grassroots and skill-share-based event. As an artist, poet/writer, and activist, I’ve wanted to go for several years but am never able to. This year I’m trying to make it a priority, and now that my son is old enough to get a lot out of it also I want to take him along to support him in his growth in these areas. If you are able to support my son & I going and being a part of the awesomeness that is the AMC -

1. I’m looking for anyone local to us (GR, MI) who is planning to drive over and might have space for us for the offer of gas money (which is still less expensive, not to mention a better experience, than Greyhound). If you are that someone, hit me up in my ask box! I’d love to meet more local people anyway!
2. You can support my fundraiser.
3. You can purchase stuff from my Etsy – there is currently a 35% off sale (code SPRINGCLEAN) trying to clean out current stock, and 50% of my sales this month actually are dedicated to support for Sumayyah Talibah.
4. If you happen to be a Detroit peep who is attending and by chance willing to open your home to save us housing costs, I’m open to negotiations on that!
5. If you can help us out with pick up from the Greyhound and/or drop off at the Greyhound for our return ride, please let me know.

Many thanks to those who have already donated and who have helped by sharing this. <3

PS – Also, please let me know if you are planning to attend the AMC as I am keeping a running list of who I must meet up with! And if you are fundraising I want to make sure to signal boost for you too!

Fundraising to Attend the Allied Media Conference in June

The ChipIn page is HERE.

I would like to be able to attend the AMC this year, along with my teen son. We will need money for the Greyhound to get there, housing arrangements, food, and transportation costs between the Greyhound and campus. I would also like to be able to be prepared with copies of my zines to sell, and will have to pay someone to check on my cat for the 6 days we are out of town.

You can also support me by purchasing items from my Etsy shop.

And… We’re Live! NEW Etsy Shop

My new Etsy shop is officially in business!

Check me out at ElephantAndDove.

So far I have only posted copies of the Jewels for Survival Vol. 3 zine and color photographic prints of the Sacred Fire painting, but there is more to come soon, including photographic prints of some of my collages and of a new piece of dot art I haven’t yet revealed.

Please check out my shop, like it, and share it. Thank you!

This Week

• Beginning work on a new collage that will then be made available in sticker form, inshaAllah. Also, possibly a short essay to go with this particular collage.
• Working to update my writer’s bio and create an artist’s statement. This is a big task for me… very big.
• Already writing poetry and have ideas in mind for a third volume of my zine.
• Trying to get caught up on reading.

Easier Purchasing!

i created a page that has all of my available items listed with photos, so you can see everything in one place. Well, thanks to Yursil, i have been able to add links that allow you simply click to add items to your cart, view your cart, and make your purchases all thru Paypal! Hopefully this makes things easier for people.

For those who prefer, you can still make your purchase direct thru Paypal by sending me the correct funds to niqaabisister@yahoo.com and listing what items you are requesting. Please make sure to include your mailing address if it doesn’t automatically show on your account!

For those who do not have Paypal accounts but wish to purchase, you can contact me at niqaabisister@yahoo.com to arrange payment by another method.

How to Purchase

Have added a page that will be updated as necessary showing what of my work is available for purchase and how to purchase them. So far it’s just the three zines, but eventually it will be updated to include other things, inshaAllah.

Updates 10/29/10

Yes, i realize it has been a very long time since i updated this blog, for many reasons. i’m not even sure where to start, but i owe some answers, so i’ll try.

1. While Thaura Distro was a fantastic and fun project and partnership, i am moving on to the next stage in my artistic and personal development, so i have left the Distro in Mai’a's most capable hands.
2. Limited quantities of my zines, Jewels for Survival ($10, includes Gems, a small greeting card that includes a few quotes and a full poem pulled from the zine) and Fear, Hope & Justice ($4) are both still available for purchase. i can be contacted at niqaabisister@yahoo.com for details.
3. Alternatively, please consider buying a copy of Jewels (with Gems) thru the To the Other Side of Dreaming etsy shop to support my dear friends Stacey & Mia and disability community building based in revolutionary love.
4. i plan to start work on a second volume of Jewels for Survival soon, inshaAllah. i’ve learned a lot of lessons lately, mashaAllah.
5. i have some ideas for some collage work that i hope to work on over the next little while.
6. i also am planning to purchase some paints and other art supplies and do some more visual arts projects over the winter, inshaAllah.
7. In crafty news, i am in the early stages of teaching myself how to card and spin wool, which will be a nice Michigan winter project.
8. i have been playing around a little with photography. Nothing special, since all i have is a camera phone, but i feel like it is enjoyable at least. i am still not at all comfortable about taking pictures of people, because i have pretty strict personal boundaries myself and therefore want to respect other people’s privacy as well. You can see a little photo essay i did of a walk thru downtown a few weeks ago. It is in two parts. Part 1, Part 2 (For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you can also see the full essay, including more detailed descriptions/captions in my photos there.)

Behold The Portal to Aaminah-Land

For all things Aaminah-related

• where i’m writing
• what i’m working on
• what i’m creating
• where you can find me
• what i’m thinking about

Please check out the links at Where You’ll Find Me