14: EMMA GRESCHAK ON RESISTING PROFIT & INDIVIDUALISM IN ART

As someone whose vision of a better world does not include capitalism, I believe I have a responsibility to situate my artistic practice within the decolonial.

A decolonial mindset demands a refusal to let one’s art be steered by profit, individualism, and consumer wastefulness. This effort, however, is incomplete unless it manifests in both thought and action.

For me, it begins with using secondhand materials whenever possible. Plenty of inspiration hides within the obstruction of using only what you already have, or what you can trade with neighbors and friends.

At home, my art takes shape in the mindful practice of sewing, weaving, knitting, beading, ceramics, and Pisanki. To focus my hands on the same art forms women have performed for millennia to express themselves and ornament their lives—I find it a profoundly meditative and fulfilling ritual. I find value in researching the art my ancestors would have been surrounded & inspired by, and carrying it forward in my own creations.

It is a powerful act of community-building to lend creative talent toward efforts such as teaching free classes, designing effective posters for community events and political actions, and selling art to fundraise for progressive change. I contribute my skills whenever possible to such work, and I am proud to surround myself with artists and designers who do the same.

– Emma, April 2026

Emma Greschak is a Detroit-based multimedia artist. She holds a BFA from the University of Michigan, and is an active member of the Detroit Club of the Communist Party USA. She enjoys frequenting local maker-spaces that uplift access to the arts, such as Swords Into Plowshares, Small Works printing studio, Slow Stitch, BULK Space, and Arts and Scraps.