John Y. Wind | Artist

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

The first Whiskey Rebellion was a 1794 uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government. It is considered one of the first major tests of the authority of the newly formed U.S. government. My Whiskey Rebellion, inspired by a collection of 1960s figurative whiskey decanters shaped like Revolutionary War heroes, questions and recontextualizes the heroic narrative through my own decidedly 21st century lens.

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 18"

The motto of the Calvert family, founders of the Maryland colony. It also became Maryland’s motto, though the original translation from the Italian, Fatti maschii, parole femine was “Manly deeds, womanly words.” It wasn’t until 2017 that the current language was adopted!

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

Attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Known for his ambition and skills as a military strategist, Napoleon continued to gain power and expand his empire until his failed attempt to invade Russia in 1812. Imagination Rules the World was his somewhat cynical take on his power; for me it is a positive, creative affirmation~

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

The 1st Pennsylvania Regiment was one of 8 companies assembled for service in the Continental Army during the War of Independence. In conjunction with their zealous attitudes and great skill, the men in the regiment were cool under pressure and followed the motto “Refuse to be subjugated.”

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

In a letter dated March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John Adams, to remember the ladies, urging him and the other members of the Continental Congress not to forget about the nation’s women when fighting for America’s independence from Great Britain. Nearly 150 years before the House of Representatives voted to pass the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, Adams letter was a private first step in the fight for equal rights for women.

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 18"

From Lin Manuel Miranda's 2016 Tony Awards acceptance speech:
We lived through times when hate and fear seemed stronger;
We rise and fall and light from dying embers, remembrances that hope and love last longer
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.
I sing Vanessa’s symphony, Eliza tells her story
Now fill the world with music, love and pride.

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

Thomas Jefferson is responsible for the inspired vision of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” integral to The Declaration of Independence. His own biography, which included the ownership of enslaved people, challenges this narrative... But the dream of Life, Liberty, and Happiness continues to resonate and inspire

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 18"

A lyric in the song My Shot from Lin Manuel Miranda’s masterful musical, Hamilton. The show was in the back of my mind throughout the creation of Whiskey Rebellion. The time travel, the pop culture mash-up, the outsider lens... The social and political concerns of our times layered with my own queer sensibility. The urgency and agency in the lyrics are powerful and inspiring: I am not throwing away my shot / I am not throwing away my shot / Hey, yo, I’m just like my country / I’m young, scrappy and hungry / And I’m not throwing away my shot

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

“Silence=Death” began as a graphic poster created in 1986 by the American artist Avram Finkelstein and the Silence=Death Collective. The piece was designed as an urgent response to the AIDS epidemic and ensuing political fallout of the time—yet, amid the current social and political realities of the world, the message and urgency are more relevant than ever.

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 18"

During the 1960s in the United States, young people began speaking and writing this phrase as a form of rebellion against what they perceived as the oppression by the older generation, especially The Establishment. The Black Panthers used the slogan "All Power to the People.”. Pro-democracy students used it to protest America's military campaign in Vietnam. John Lennon wrote and released a song by the same name in 1971. (Not to be confused with Patti Smith’s People have the Power of 1988, one of my favorite songs...)

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 16"

Robins are the first to start and the last to stop singing. They are known as angels' messengers, prompting the expression 'When robins appear, loved ones are near'. They represent hope, renewal, rebirth, new beginnings and growth.

Acrylic, bleach and metal nailheads on printed canvas
54 x 18"

This phrase came from research I did on Thaddeus Kosciuszko. He was originally a Polish engineer, statesman, and military leader. After learning of the American Revolution, Kościuszko, a man of revolutionary aspirations, sympathetic to the American cause and an advocate of human rights, sailed for America and was assigned to the Continental Army.