Arms Against a Sea of Troubles, Explained | MakersPlace Blog

Collector ThreadBear is taking over curator duties for our weekly exhibit this week. He’s given us a very personal view into his collection and what each piece means to him. To read our interview with ThreadBear about his collecting habits, finding new artists, and the art that shakes him to his core, click here.

“I’ll sleep when I am dead” by Federico Bebber

This piece struck me instantly when I saw it. It not only evokes the impression of expiration for when the ultimate end comes, but it also gives a sense of personal development and changes throughout one’s life, as depicted by the butterfly’s metamorphosis.

The piece is based upon a preliminary version of the image used as a cover for “Sleeping Beauties,” written by Stephen King and his son Owen King. The artist, Federico Bebber, even changed a portion of this image for me after we discussed the “meaning” of the piece.

“Hands Across America(n)” by Marquise Sims

This piece has resonance and meaning for me for obvious reasons. During the pandemic, the examples of lawlessness and anarchy that we saw break out across the globe were quite disheartening. The George Floyd killing will serve as a brutal and seminal moment in American culture, but this image for me is about stoicism, perseverance, and fortitude. It may seem rather controversial to some, and to others, it might convey a sense of injustice; but at the end of it all. We are all essentially the same human family.

“Despair – Savage Beauty 1” by William Barrington-Binns

One has to take a close look at this image to see the amount of work that has gone into creating the atmosphere of despair. Many will know and appreciate how it feels to experience desperation; but as the accompanying description of the piece cites:

“Despair – He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair,…