Stella Kramer

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Posts by Stella Kramer

Topsy Turvy by Qiana Mestrich

Posted on April 14th, 2022

Topsy Turvy Zine Cover

Topsy Turvy is a subset of The Black Doll series by Qiana Mestrich that appropriates original imagery of vintage black dolls for sale on Etsy and Ebay.

This new series is inspired by the “topsy turvy” cloth dolls, invented and handmade in the late 1800s by enslaved African-American women. Two-headed and reversible, one side of the doll was a Black girl child, while the other side was a White girl child. Both were sewn together where the hips and legs would be, with a long skirt designed to hide one doll while the other was held upright.

While their purpose is still misunderstood, it is believed that topsy-turvy dolls were made for enslaved children and perhaps also intended as “maid dolls” for the slave master’s children. The legacy of these racialized dolls continued long after abolition and their flip design was mimicked during the shift from craft production to mass-produced toys.

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Where Furrows Run Deep by Jeffrey Sauger

Posted on August 12th, 2021

Cover of zine Where Furrows Run Deep by Jeffrey Sauger

Agriculture was a part of the essence of Black middle class life, and with a loss of 90% of their land came a loss of generational wealth. In 2017, according to the USDA, only about 49,000 farmers out of 3.4 million across the country were Black. A century ago there were nearly one million Black farmers.

Jeffrey Sauger photographed these farms in 2001 in Ohio, Virginia, North and South Carolina.

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Where Furrows Run Deep

Posted on August 12th, 2021

In 2017, according to the USDA, only about 49,000 farmers out of 3.4 million across the country were Black. A century ago there were nearly one million Black farmers. Agriculture was a part of the essence of Black middle class life, and with a loss of 90% of their land came a loss of generational wealth.

Jeffrey Sauger photographed these farms in 2001 in Ohio, Virginia, North and South Carolina.

Still Life by Giovanni Savino

Posted on September 15th, 2020

This is the first issue of Stellazine in the 21st Century.

No coronavirus. No quarantine or isolation. This is timeless; photography that isn’t tied to anything but itself, the photographer and the viewer.

Giovanni Savino inhabits his photography. Throughout his career he has searched for something deep inside every time he raises his camera. Take a look.

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It’s 2017. “This Is What Democracy Looks Like!”

Posted on January 22nd, 2017

We arrived and marched to the site, seeing welcome stations, people standing on their lawns with signs, high-fives and cheering. We slogged past the garbage and barricades from the day before. There were so, so many people everywhere. We never made it to the forward area with the stage, speakers and performers. Completely divorced from the structured pageantry we were a multitude of people literally going in every direction at once, no one knowing what was going on. We couldn’t…

The Best of 2014

Posted on December 24th, 2014

I really hate this time of year. It’s impossible not to look back with disappointment and exhaustion at the year that’s almost over. And the crushing saturation of the “HOLIDAY SEASON!” is enough to make any sane person crazy. I’ve never been one of those people who looks to the future shining so clearly right in front of me. What I see is fog. It’s as if I’m looking to where the cliff drops off. I can’t see anything ahead.…

These Projects Ask For Your Support & Attention

Posted on June 6th, 2014

Lorraine Hansberry

I wanted to talk about 4 fundraising projects that I think are worth your attention and hopefully your support. They are very different from each other, but they are strong projects by people who are professionals with the background of work to match. Some are close to their goal, some are far but if you can spread the word and help  they have a chance of success. Lorraine Hansberry is best known for writing A Raisin In The Sun, but…