ZOE GREEN The Queerest Flowers Grow in Midwestern Soil

Growing up rural, conservative, and Catholic makes hard ground for queer kids to push through. And yet, we grew. Did my upbringing make me or work against me becoming me? Do flowers uproot from their life source, or do they stay and grow in spite of their surroundings? Burning names and family photographs into canvas, stitching messages across them to resemble the fabrics my family has handmade in generations past, and weighing it all down with cast iron to recreate the tension in a changing family. I utilize these methods to explore my connection to my family, my connection to myself, and my connection (or lack thereof) to the Midwest earth that hosted my growing up.