Acknowledgements for Blog Issue #2
The Marvellous Grounds collective would like to thank Alvis Choi’s dedicated work as lead editor of this second issue, which became much larger and more labour intensive than originally anticipated. Alvis worked with great sensitivity and went above and beyond in collaborating with the contributors to bring their pieces to their full potential. They showcased the best of activist scholarship with great humility, sharing their immense writing and editing skills with community members in order to help them get published. This whole website, with its stunning, user-friendly design, would not exist without Alvis, who lent the team their artistic, writing and tech skills many a times, without insisting on special mention or credit.
Our gratitudes go to all of the contributors of this issue: nisha ahuja, Cherish Violet Blood, kumari giles, Kapwa Collective, Ange Loft, Kama La Mackerel, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Jada Reynolds-Tabobondung, Patrick Salvani, Shaunga Tagore, Rahim Thawer, Kai Cheng Thom, and Camille Turner. Special thanks to Prof. Lisa Myers who wrote the prologue and shared her invaluable experience and expertise, offering a crucial context for the pieces in this issue by highlighting the forerunning work of queer Indigenous artists that we are indebted to. We would also like to give thanks to Rebeka Tabobondung from Muskrat Magazine, who supported the creation and dissemination of the roundtable discussion with queer Indigenous artists. This issue exists because of the brilliant artists and organizers who create and keep creating under challenging circumstances. It exists because of their generosity to share, and their trust in the value of this collective platform.
For many QTBIPOC artists, art is survival. Art is what gets us through and what takes us to better places. Art is also where we thrive. For this, we celebrate. We are grateful to be celebrating with the contributors, as well as our readers.
This issue would not have come together without the collective editorial work of the Marvellous Grounds collective: Dr. Jin Haritaworn, who guided us through many journeys including this one of creating another special issue after the inaugural one, dedicated their time and energy into building communities in and outside of the academia, and offered their mentorship to such extent that one would benefit from for a lifetime; Ghaida Moussa, who is always meticulous with the work that she delivers and is so generous with sharing her expertise in writing and editing, especially in the final phase of completing this issue; Syrus Marcus Ware, who contributed greatly to refining the pieces to ensure that ideas are communicated in the most effective way possible; and Amandeep Kaur Panag, who initiated and facilitated the very important roundtable discussion with queer Indigenous artists. Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge the editing work that Nadia Kanani did on an early draft of nisha ahuja’s piece.
This issue took material shape with the help of an Early Researcher Award and a SSHRC IDG, and with support from the Centre for Feminist Research and the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University.
Acknowledgement for Blog Issue #1
It takes a community to make an archive. Many have contributed to this special issue. The Marvellous Grounds collective would like to thank all the artists and authors who have entrusted us with their work. We want to honour your work and we believe it is changing the world. This issue is for you.
This work is collaborative, and as a collective we take joint responsibility and credit for the labour, risks and benefits. Our gratitude goes to Rio Rodriguez and Amandeep Kaur Panag, who have gone above and beyond as editors and worked magic to make it all happen under challenging circumstances. This issue is dedicated to Rio’s impressive vision and work as an outgoing, co-founding collective member. We will miss you as you sail on to the next chapter in your life.
Jin Haritaworn has provided mentorship, shared theoretical insights into queer space and archives, and supported the issue both in its conception and through concrete editorial support.
Syrus Marcus Ware’s artistic directorship has been invaluable in transforming the issue into a communal space that is not only big enough to hold both writers and visual artists, but also extremely good looking.
Both Jin, Syrus and Ghaida Moussa have provided considerable hands-on editorial assistance to bring individual pieces into a beautiful shape.
Alvis Choi has done a stunning job on the website, researching and executing many of the impressive tricks that make it look so amazing literally overnight!
The work of the Marvellous Grounds archive is in the tradition of an activist scholarship that puts the we before the me. We are indebted to many collectives, without whom this issue would not exist. In particular, we would like to thank Black Lives Matter, the Church Street Mural Project, A little bit louder now!, Crossroads UnGallery, First Story App, and our fellow students in York University Environmental Studies, particularly the ones on the ENVS 5106 Race, Gender and Environment.
Some of the work that fed into this issue was supported through a SSHRC IDG, an Early Researcher Award, the Centre for Feminist Research, and the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York.
And of course, thank you to our featured artists, contributors and interviewees: Fatin Chowdhury, Raven David, Fonna Seidu, Zahra Siddiqui, Amber Sandy, Gloria Swain, Syrus Marcus Ware. Thanks to Nadia Kanani for supporting the first round of the collective. Thanks to Jenny Chan for generously sharing your technical expertise with us for setting up the website, and to the members of SOY H.E.A.T., for your support in creating our maps. Thanks to Monica Forrester, Anna Malla, Aemilius Ramirez, and everyone who has contributed to the QTBIPOC maps!