SICK CIRCLE: community, conversation, and mending with Maya Skylark

Sunday, June 29th 2-4pm
Maine Clay Collaborative
65 Hanover St, Portland, ME

FREE, RSVP REQUIRED
Masks required and provided

Join SICK magazine for an afternoon mending circle and discussion on themes of repair and renewal through the lens of disability and chronic illness. Led by Maya Skylark and Olivia Spring, folks will be taught how to mend a garment of their own while participating in a guided discussion.

This event is for folks who are chronically ill/mentally ill/disabled. Our aim is to offer solidarity and support while learning a new skill (or practicing, if you already know how to mend)! In these intensely heavy times, we seek to find joy in community, conversation, and care.

Following the event, SICK will work on creating a small zine which includes scans/photographs of garments and excerpts from our conversations. Audio will be recorded for this purpose. Participation in the zine is not required, and those who do take part will have the opportunity to approve what is printed. All workshop attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the finished zine which will also be sold in our online shop, with proceeds going towards producing issue 7 of SICK. Participants will receive a print-out instructional booklet on mending to take home as well as a suggested reading list. All materials will be provided, the only thing you must bring is something to mend!

Reserve your spot (space is limited to 10) here.

MORE INFO & ACCESS:

Participants will be instructed by Maya on darning, a repair method that replicates woven fabric using a needle and thread (or yarn).

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?: Bring a garment or two that has a hole (or holes!) such as a sweater, socks, tea towel. Any type of fabric will work!

OUTLINE OF TWO HOURS: For the first half hour, Maya will introduce the practice of mending and share examples of work to help inspire our own garment repairs. There will be opportunity for discussion and sharing about your own garments and experiences of illness and disability. Then, Maya will teach how us how to darn and we will begin work on our garments as we continue conversation. There will be a ten minute break about halfway through and a kitchen is available for hot water or drink re-fill. Maya will lead an optional gentle stretching session during this time.

We will also read and refer to excerpts of SICK magazine and work by other artists. SICK magazines and merch as well as Maya’s zines and other work will be available to purchase.

ACCESS: Maine Clay Collaborative is an ADA-Accessible building. The event will take place towards the back of the studio around a large table. There will be chairs with backs. If weather allows, we may open garage doors for fresh air and natural light. There are two entrances, both of which are ground-level, but one of which has stepping stones in front of the door. There are two accessible bathrooms around the corner from where the workshop will be. Studio members may be working in a separate part of the space, and may walk by our corner to the glazing area. Maine Clay Collaborative will be requesting all studio members to be masked during the hours of our event, and their presence is expected to be very minimal.

PARKING: There are only a few parking spots available in front of the building, which can be reserved on request. Please note they are parallel to the building. Otherwise, please be prepared to find street parking (no meters on Sunday's)! There are no disabled parking spots outside of the venue.

Photos of the event space can be found at the bottom of this page.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS:

Maya Skylark (Critchfield) (any pronouns) is a writer, textile artist, and educator living and working in Maine. She works with found and damaged clothing and textiles to explore care, repair, and material value. Her written work combines the rich imagery and metaphors of both textiles and the natural world to explore transformation, death, grief, and renewal. Maya has been teaching sewing and mending workshops throughout New England since 2017. 
Artist Statement: “My work with textiles often feels like a conversation with grief and joy. I find myself treasuring fraying fabrics with unknown origins and watching them slowly decay as I wear them or use them in my home. I have lived with a chronic illness for half of my life, and over the years I have felt so much grief and shame surrounding the limitations I come up against because of it. But when I take the time to repair my clothes in the face of decay, I embrace the fragility and ephemerality of their existence, and by doing so, confront, reflect upon, and accept the fragility of my own life. Caring for clothes is one of the most potent ways I take care of myself. This soft work is a way of holding space for hard things.”

Olivia Spring (she/her) is the founder and editor of SICK, a magazine exploring chronic illness and disability. Her work has appeared in It’s Nice That, the Guardian, An Encyclopedia of Radical Helping, and rekto:verso, among others. She has been awarded residencies at Monson Arts and Hewnoaks and has hosted talks and workshops for Edmonton Poetry Festival, Ort Gallery, College of the Atlantic, League of Canadian Poets, Colby College, and more. She lives a slow life in Maine with her dog, Black Bean. @OliviaLSpring / @aSICKmagazine

Stepping stones at the front entrance to 65 Hanover Street

Corner room next to garage door where event will take place

Street view of building (parking spots available in front of windows)

Street view of building showing back entrance and open garage door