13. Self-Determination, Popular the World Over
ELIZABETH “BETSY” MCLINDON
1985, 14’ x 15’
Photo © Elizabeth “Betsy” McLindon
Elizabeth’s mural Self-Determination, Popular the World Over is a “tongue-in-cheek reference to the common motivation for revolution—people’s desire for one’s needs being met and aspirations being represented. My primary sources of political inspiration were Loisaida, El Salvador and South Africa.
“Balanced and equal, male and female, two figures with heart-shaped heads float in front of a larger heart. They gently hold planet Earth, intuiting its fragility and critical need for its care. Directly behind is a map of the historic Lower East Side and Loisaida. Vines emerging from the heart lead to shapes representing maps of South America on the left and South Africa on the right, the latter draped in the colors of the African National Congress flag. Politically, equality—of gender, sexual preference, spiritual path, and race—is the missing piece in our world, today as 30 years ago. Progress certainly has been made, but we’ve a ways to go.”
Elizabeth, then known as “Betsy”, was an active member of PAD/D (Political Art Documentation / Distribution) where she knew fellow La Lucha muralist Keith Christensen and critic Lucy Lippard who told her about the project.
Moving from NYC to Arizona, then Cape Cod and Boston, Elizabeth settled in Gloucester, MA where, since 1993, she’s juggled art and therapeutic massage. Both are process oriented and, done with hands, have immediate results. Her most recent work is a narrative assemblage using found (recycled) materials. elizabethmclindon.com