Over the past year, like many millennials finding it increasingly difficult to pay the rent and afford daily essentials, I began making and selling stuffed animals to help make ends meet. Bringing together my “fine art” studio practice and traditional “craft” plushie-making hustle – Bear in Mind exhibits 30+ handmade and sentimental memory bears situated on swings to symbolize a back-and-forth playfulness present in creative labor and recalling memories (the past) through materials to understand the present. With the Banana Factory's history of production and labor and its current identity as an arts center, Bear In Mind considers the past, present, and future of the space through its reference to labor, material production, and playful presence in the gallery.

Bear In Mind challenges the western notion that art exists separately from everyday life; that "craft" is separate from "fine art," and who or what "belongs" in a particular space. Polarized perspectives on art and labor perpetuate harmful exploitative frameworks related to success, production, consumption, labor, and social class. As millennials are projected to make up 75% of the US workforce by 2025, we face the reality of being the first generation in American history to generate less wealth than our parents. Who gets to decide what our labor is worth and who it serves? Bear In Mind is a reminder that Bethlehem's history in the production of steel and distribution of goods helped to build a middle-class economy, and that our personal histories are a map toward how we can work together to build a more equitable future.

What do you have in mind?