This is the first of SPArts new monthly artist-to-artist series, where South Park artists reveal a little about themselves and their work in this little corner of Seattle. Colleen Lindsey, “the chick who sews on Sullivan”, a fabric artist, and a long time South Park Arts member, met recently with new South Parker, artist and activist Jeanette Wallis.

Jeanette Wallis and her black lab, Sherpa, courtesy of WalkForDemocracy.org

I sat down with a new neighbor, Jeanette Wallis, not knowing what to expect. She came bearing freshly made tea made from nettles, dandelion flowers and mint, which was exceedingly delicious. She has a sense of whimsy about her and her smile is infectious. I discovered that she is also a sewer so, naturally, I liked her immediately. She was in awe over my fabric stash and told me she wants to be a creator of beautiful things. She also has a talent for telling stories of some of the incredible moments of her life, spinning the tales as effortlessly as the tea spills into my mug. Here is some of what I learned about her in that evening meeting, the first of the many to come, I am sure.

Jeanette came from a military family, and had meager beginnings. She began writing at the age of eleven, taking down everyday observations of life and, eventually, became more confident in her writing skills. She wrote screenplays in her early 20′s,but unfortunately for her, none of them were picked up. During the WTO Ministerial Protest in Seattle,Wa, she was walking home from a store in her Capitol Hill neighborhood, when riot police chased and tear-gassed her for no reason. Jeanette became an activist.

After the debacle of the presidential election of 2000, she decided to take a “walk for democracy“. She literally walked from Seattle to the White House in the span of 2 years and 2 months. She collected grievances from people all over the country to take to President Bush. She encountered many gracious people along the way and received help from some of the unlikeliest supporters. She documented her experience and posted everything she encountered, good and bad. When she got to the White House, the Secret Service men weren’t as receptive to the idea of these letters being handed to President Bush. Jeanette was told to mail them. She copied them all and mailed them, but never heard a response back. She is still satisfied, even knowing that her effort wasn’t recognized by the powers that be, but by the people who wrote the letters that she promised to deliver.

Jeanette feels blessed to have had the time and energy to devote to planting “little seeds of dissent” all over America. She now feels her most important job is to expose her 4-year-old son to the beauty of community. She feels very lucky to have found a niche in South Park, where it is a joy to wander the streets on sunny days and chat with friendly neighbors, play with all the great kids, and work at Marra Farm. She had almost given up on living in Seattle, until she discovered this “little town within a city”.

Jeanette doesn’t know what the future brings, but she wants to delve in her creative side. She looks at her life as a blank canvas to be filled with experiences. She sees herself selling hippie patchwork clothes at summer festivals, working through the winters and working a permaculture farm (even though I am filled with useless information from being a former waitress, I have to admit, I don’t know what permaculture farming is).

I do, however, see a new sewing buddy, a great new neighbor, and an asset to this artistic community. And I need to get that tea recipe.

Colleen with a recent quilt

Colleen Lindsey is an artist and clothing designer who focuses on creating her art quilts, making clothes in recycled cashmere, designing her kids line (Sparkle Punx), and making recycled jewelry. She uses mixed media to create her artwork, using fabrics, thread, paint, permanent ink, yarn and anything else that she can recycle. Colleen makes things that she likes and hopes that others find joy in them as well.

Tags: artist-to-artist, Colleen Lindsey, Jeanette Wallis

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