Big news! We’re in the Smithsonian! The wearable dancing mailboxes that Spiral Q created with @votethatjawn for voter education during the 2020 general election are officially a part of history! One of the three mailboxes made this past September is now a part of the Smithsonian American History collection! @amhistorymuseum
“Spiral Q’s mailbox costume is an instant artifact of the history of the 2020 election, materially embodying themes related to the pandemic, voting by mail, voter fraud, civics education, and public protest. The Smithsonian was eager to include it in our collections, alongside objects owned by presidents, activists, and ordinary campaigners and voters. This object’s creation, use, and donation tell the long story of democracy, and will be useful in teaching future generations about American history.” – Jon Grinspan, Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
We’ve always known that Spiral Q’s collection of puppets and props made over the last 25 years tell important stories of the critical issues our communities care about and the lives they lead. Puppetry and street theater are the sword and everyday people are the heroes: from the fight against library closures, the threat of a new stadium in Chinatown, to individuals’ stories of their journeys with addiction recovery. The work centers, lifts up and honors neighborhood and community leaders of Philadelphia and beyond.
Big thanks to our artists and community partners who brought these puppets to life and organized so smartly and joyfully last Fall (and always, really) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Additional big thanks to those who captured crucial videos many unknown but big thanks to @marissa_jv\