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Apr 30 2022

Zoo Boise Gorongosa merchandise

By Gorongosa, Public Art

The Summer of 2019 I installed the permanent outdoor Public Art piece for Zoo Boise’s new site expansion, the Gorongosa Exhibit. The artwork was completed that Spring and I had several conversations with Friends of Zoo Boise, the Zoo Boise Gift Shop as well as the company that purchases the concessions for the Gift Shop, in the hope of setting up a Licensing Agreement that would allow us to produce merchandise using my copyrighted images.  To no avail.

I decided in the end to set up an account with Redbubble.  They offer a panoply of products using my images — all of which you can view (and buy) at my page on the Redbubble website.

They will create everything from T-shirts and Hoodies, to Coffee Mugs, Shower Curtains, Duvet Covers, small pieces of furniture, Tote Bags, you name it, they make it.  Phone cases, Face Masks, Fanny Packs, Pillows, Floor Cushions.  Go see for yourself!

These photos are just screenshots from the website so, my apologies for the quality.  I have zero apologies however for the Actual Quality of the real things.  Having become my own best customer by solving 2020’s Christmas shopping purchasing a variety of these products, I can vouch for how well made they all are.

In fact here’s a sneak peak into our bathroom’s Leopard Shower Curtain.  Meowow!

Jan 22 2017
©2017 Melissa "Sasi" Chambers - "Great Circle of Life" Black Elk tarpage 1/2017

Black Elk Inaugural Exhibit, January 2017

By Exhibitions

“Black Elk, Lakota Warrior, Mighty Visionary” is the inaugural exhibition at the new Canyon Crossroads Museum at Celebration Park. I am exhibiting my tarpage “Great Circle of Life” depicting the vision Black Elk had when he was a 9 year-old.

Mike is also featured in this exhibition. Here he is with his painting, “Black Elk and the Morning Star.”

For a full picture of my tarpage, “Great Circle of Life” and my statement regarding its content, click here.

Jan 22 2017
©2017 Melissa "Sasi" Chambers - CATCH Social Justice Tarpage 11/16

2nd Series of Social Justice Tarpage

By Tarpage

The series of Social Justice tarps created for the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (BUUF) Plate Partners began a second season in November 2016 with the tarpage for C.A.T.C.H. (Charitable Assistance for The Community’s Homeless), above.

Family Medical Center – Refugee Clinic, December 2016

BUUF Partner Church in Meszko, Romania, January 2017

Learning Lab – Literacy Skills for Refugees, February 2017

Jan 22 2017
©2017 Melissa "Sasi" Chambers - "Great Circle of Life" Black Elk tarpage 1/2017

“Great Circle of Life” – Black Elk Tarpage

By Exhibitions, Tarpage

 

“Great Circle of Life” — Tarpage, 60″ X 60″

This tarpage, “Great Circle of Life,” was inspired by the fevered vision Black Elk had as a 9 year old boy. He saw spirit horses galloping from the four sacred directions — from the west snorting lighting, from the north swirling in snow, from the east glowing like morning at dawn with starry eyes, and from the south with manes flowing like prairie grasses. As the horses vanished a firey rainbow arced above him and he saw six ancient grandfathers who gave him gifts of power — a wooden cup of water with the power to give life, a bow and arrow with the power to destroy, a red stick which sprouted four green leaves representing the tree of life — which would flower if all people shared the vision. Black Elk was just a little boy when he had this vision and it took a long time for him to have the courage to share it with his people. When he finally was able to share it, a ceremonial tipi was set up and images from his vision were painted on it.

Imagine this tarpage is like the material that tipi was made from, and the images on it are like those which were painted on that tipi. And the eyes? Black Elk’s. Mine. Yours. May we all share the vision.