Black Lives Matter.
We have work to do. And must continue to humbly show up with empathy, open minds, and a willingness to do our part.
Lettering Works stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and is committed to making space for conversations, learning, and looking inward to determine the best way to show up and contribute designs to the fight for social justice in our nation. I acknowledge that the road to allyship is going to be messy and filled with mistakes and imperfection. But now is not the time for silence and complacency. Now is the time to be part of the revolution that we so desperately need.
The below designs are just the beginning of our contributions to fighting and advocating for change. To all those who have words to share in support of the cause but need graphics, I invite you to use the images included in this blog post with proper attribution. If sharing on social media, please tag @letteringworks in both the photo and caption.
To all those overwhelmed and still feeling at a loss for where to start on this long-term commitment to be anti-racist, I encourage you to focus on where your interests and talents lie so you can contribute to this needed change in a meaningful and authentic way.
Lettering Works is currently accepting new projects and actively seeking organizations that support the Black Lives Matter movement to partner with.
Project Spotlights
MEET SOJOURNER WHITE
Sojourner White, MSW (she/her) studied Psychology, Spanish, and Women's and Gender Studies. Sojourner was really involved on campus (we met through the university's activities council). We also studied abroad together in Granada, Spain during our junior year and lived five minutes from each other, so we walked to school together most days.
Sojourner is the definition of a world traveler and was a Fulbright Scholar in Logroño, Spain and also completed an internship for her Master of Social Work in Berlin, Germany. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with her MSW last month. I'm so proud to call Sojourner a friend and am continuously inspired by her work.
“Let’s Unpack That” is a new series from Sojourner (@thesojournies on Instagram) to process and unpack our baggage of social identities to understand how they impact how we move through the world. I encourage you to check it out.
I am inspired by Sojourner’s leadership, advocacy, and honesty (and have been for the eight years I’ve known her). Sojourner has been doing the work and her first episode of the series inspired me to create a logo for her.
MEET Alexander martin
Alexander Martin (they/them) is an artist, an advocate for their communities, a witch, a drag queen, a mentor and educator. It is between these roles that Alexander creates. Through sculpture, painting, performance, installation, drag, ritual, magic, and outreach, they make work that grounds them and contributes to valuable conversations across communities.
I met Alexander at Bradley University, where they received their MFA. Alex has taught me so much about equity, gender expressions and identities, and race. I encourage you to follow Alexander on Instagram to learn more about their work @xander9210 and @artemisiavanho.
Artemisia VanHo is a drag persona that Alexander created to explore their own identity and gender. Artemisia is Alexander’s femininity personified and embodies all aspects of Alexander that have been criticized or ridiculed. Drag has become an integral part of Alexander’s art practice as whole, with many artifacts from drag shows making their way into the pieces they create.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Chelsie Tamms is an award-winning lettering artist and designer based out of Chicago. She is the owner of Lettering Works, a branding studio that connects businesses to their audience through creativity and strategy. With over 10 years of practice of lettering and design, Chelsie is passionate about craft and intention. When she’s not designing, she can be found eating ice cream, traveling internationally, or starting a new passion project.
