JT Photo & Design

Timeline Cleanse ✨ World Autism Acceptance Day, April 2nd, 2021, we decided to be a little punk rock and take up space via CNN.com and spread some Autistic Joy. We appreciate them showing us some love. This is a reminder that the conversation begins and ends with Autistic folks. We’re out here, we’ve been here and come find us in the future.

Main image description:
This image features a screenshot of a CNN article about World Autism Awareness Day. The screenshot is framed by a background of vibrant yellow forsythia flowers against a bright blue sky.

The article details are as follows:

Headline: “World Autism Awareness Day 2021: What you need to know”.

Byline: Written by Matt Villano, CNN.

Date: Updated 7:24 AM EDT, Fri April 02, 2021.

Featured Photograph: A portrait of a young Black boy named Knox and a Black woman. The boy has curly dark hair and is wearing a green shirt with a paper chain around his neck. The woman has her hair styled up with blonde highlights and is wearing a light teal sweatshirt that says “It’s cool to be kind”.

Text Excerpt: The article introduces Kevin “Knox” Johnson III, describing him as an 8-year-old who enjoys building marble runs, telling knock-knock jokes, and excelling in math and languages. It also mentions his love for singing along to musicals and making beats in GarageBand.

While watching my friend and frequent creative collaborator celebration of life via stream today, I noticed the yellow Forsythia flowers blooming outside my window especially brighter today. I know it was Alice, she came to say hello to me though the bloom. I quickly printed out a collage I had begun to remix for Alice that I’m thankful she was able to enjoy and see before she passed, I then ran outside to capture her image within the blooms! 💛🌼🐯if you knew Alice personally or through her stories, she always had a way of showing up to remind you to keep blooming and growing. I really don’t have the words to continue memorializing her memory, I stay connected to her though the art we made together. Blooming to Rebel, sacred to all of us. Our Disabled Oracle.

The main image shows a vibrant, layered collage held up against a backdrop of bright yellow forsythia flowers in full bloom. The sun peeks through the branches at the top, casting a warm glow over the scene.

In the center of the collage is a photographic portrait of Alice Wong, a disabled activist and author. She is shown from the chest up, angled slightly toward the viewer with a thoughtful expression. She has short, dark hair and is wearing a colorful, striped garment in shades of red, green, and blue. A thin blue strap and her ventilator tube are visible near her neck.

The portrait is framed by several stylized, concentric layers that create a “halo” or sunburst effect:
* Immediate Backdrop: A large, orange-petaled flower (resembling a zinnia or dahlia) sits directly behind her head.
* Middle Layer: A sharp, teal-colored “starburst” with jagged edges radiates outward behind the orange flower.
* Outer Layer: Large, soft purple floral shapes fill the upper corners of the print.
* Bottom Corners: Two more orange flowers anchor the bottom left and right of the composition.

The collage is a physical print with a white border, held by a person’s hand in the lower-left corner. The hand has a medium-to-deep skin tone. The contrast between the saturated colors of the digital collage and the natural, textured yellow flowers in the background creates a striking, celebratory visual.

Many of us in cultural, activist and movement work spaces spent the day mentally and physically fatigued at this newly released news. At nearly 96 years old, my heart is heavy that our elder and comrade, Dolores Huerta has carried this weight for decades while pouring so much into the labor community. Dolores has my continued respect for whom she chose and still chooses to protect in the name of justice. For decades she has served as a Mother to her community in so many ways. I stand on her shoulders. SA survivors are sacred. May they find peace, rest and strength during this dark time of revelation.

From

“The silence she kept for 60 years was not weakness. It was the impossible weight that survivors of sexual violence are forced to carry—often to protect others, often at profound cost to themselves. That she carried it while simultaneously building one of the most important labor movements in American history makes her courage almost incomprehensible. “We also believe the women and girls who were harmed by Cesar Chavez. They deserve to be heard.”

I’ve always loved how Dolores was captured in visual justice campaign a few years ago, this photo says so much and I wanted to use it in my collage tribute of her.

“That’s the history of the world. His story is told, hers isn’t.”
- Dolores Huerta

Wow 🤩 Little Jen would be proud that her curiosity brought her to this space! Honored to be included in this year’s ✨ ✨ from the Eames Institute. Grateful to be part of a community of curious problem-solvers using creativity, design, and collaboration to tackle challenges of all scales. Explore the full list of honorees at the link in bio.

A bit about from curious100.org

‘The Curious 100 is a celebration of courageous leaders and creative minds across the United States who are harnessing the transformative power of curiosity to solve today’s most pressing problems. While honoree’s individual fields of expertise vary greatly, spanning arts, design, technology, community-building, social impact, food, and more, all honorees are united by a belief in curiosity to understand and address societal challenges.

Selected from a broad spectrum of disciplines–spanning food, arts, design, technology, community-building, and social impact–the selected honorees represent the transformative impact of curiosity across ten dynamic categories: Builders, Caretakers, Connectors, Creators, Curators, Explorers, Makers, Protectors, Reformers, and Storytellers.’

Thankful to:
*
*
*
*
*  
*