Cut Them Up ✂
How to protest with your recycling bin
Today is the National Shutdown. The request is simple: No work. No school. No shopping.
We are removing our money from the economy to protest the violence and the policies we refuse to accept. But silence doesn’t mean we stop creating. In fact, today is the perfect day to make “Art as Witness.”
Your Prompt: The Boycott Collage
Go to your recycling bin. Print something from online, do a screen grab. Find the physical evidence of the companies you are boycotting—the ones that fund the very agendas we are protesting.
The Uline catalog or a box
An Amazon box
The Estée Lauder mailer
The junk mail from the banks and corporations that fund MAGA.
(Not sure who to boycott? Check this database to see where your money really goes: Goods Unite Us or the Progressive Shopper guide).
Do not throw them away. Cut them up. (Or make a digital collage like I did.)
Take their logos, their branding, and their waste, and reassemble them into something honest. Use their own materials to state your resistance. Turn their “marketing” into your “witness.”
We aren’t buying anything new today. We are repurposing their trash to fuel our fire.
Show us your work. Reply to this email with a photo of your Boycott Collage. I will compile them and share the collection on Substack so we can see that even in a blackout, we are not creating alone.
Your Art Inspires and Brings Connection. It is Part of a Network of Hope and History.
Quick story on being inspired. I was scrolling through Substack today when I came across Kelly Russo’s collages. “We Saw You” grabbed my attention immediately. Is this “Art as Witness” or WHAT? Every one of those ICE henchman should know we are watching. Trump and his administration? We see you too. My mind thought about the boycott today and this art prompt that I am sharing with you jumped into my head. Thank you, Kelly! I look forward to your art over my morning coffee.
If you don’t want to make a collage out of companies, how about a collage of eyes?
Get your scissors. Let’s get to work.
Sharon, The Accidental ArtMaker
What are you cutting? Tell me in the comments
1. Uline (The “Big Bad”)
The Connection: Founders Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein are arguably the most powerful mega-donors to the hard-right GOP. They don’t just donate; they bankroll entire movements.
The Receipt: They have poured tens of millions into PACs supporting Trump, election denialism, and anti-abortion legislation. They were major funders of the “March to Save America” rally that preceded Jan 6.
Verdict: Buying Uline boxes is effectively a direct donation to the MAGA agenda. (When I was an online retailer, I donated thousands to MAGA via Uline. Big regrets. If you buy from a small online retailer, ask them if they have explored other sources besides Uline.)
2. Estée Lauder (The Family Tie)
The Connection: While the company itself tries to stay neutral, Ronald Lauder (heir and Board Member) is a massive Trump supporter.
The Receipt: He has donated huge sums to Trump-aligned Super PACs and has been a longtime personal friend and political ally of Donald Trump.
Verdict: Profits from the company support the Lauder wealth, which funnels into Trump’s war chest. Note: This often includes brands they own like MAC, Clinique, and Aveda.
3. Amazon (The Complicated One)
The Connection: This one is trickier because Jeff Bezos and Trump have publicly feuded. However, the boycott here is usually about Corporate Complicity and Labor.
The Receipt: Amazon’s corporate PAC often donates to GOP lawmakers who voted to overturn the 2020 election (the “Sedition Caucus”) in order to protect their tax breaks and fight unionization.
Verdict: They may not wear a MAGA hat, but they fund the machinery that keeps the GOP in power to protect their profits.
And I just followed.
If it's okay, I'll also share this: https://www.profgalloway.com/resist-and-unsubscribe/
We don't subscribe to many things, but there are a few we do (did).