Michael Sylvan Robinson

Letter to a Curator Who is Not into my Work (or, Pascal's Silence)

open.substack.com/pub/pablohel...

End gun violence

I got my “not accepted” email from a show that was so niche regionally and media-wise that seemed like the most likely of recent applications (I was included in two less likely others) as we know, it is all so subjective - and easy to share the successes without naming the rejections 🪡🧵🙏❤️

“This is not just how authoritarianism happens. This is authoritarianism happening.”

“The 2026 midterms are 14 months away. The machinery of the state is being organized to entrench Republican power through redistricting, to control information, to punish and harass enemies, to create a masked paramilitary force roaming the streets and carrying out Trump’s commands.”

Opinion | Stop Acting Like This Is Normal

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...

This one is sold and heading off to Denmark! “Ocean Eyes” by Michael Sylvan Robinson (2024) textile collage on fabric with hand-beading, sequins, and embroidery. No glass, framed 11 1/4” x 9 1/4” x 1 1/4” 🌈🪩🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🌊🪡🧵❤️⭐️👏~ Sylvan

Oh no! Hope you are okay!!! (((healing healing healing)))

Today was the first day of school for my 36th academic year, my 8th since returning back to Brooklyn to my original campuses after 18 years in Baltimore; I’ve taught ages 3 through seniors in college in a wide range of disciplines! Now in my 16th year of service in senior administration 🙏❤️

These works reexamine gender and art histories found in the fragments of history and consider the role of the artist navigating the tensions of societies under duress. This collection of fiber art sculptures embody protective talismans as structures of support for community-engaged rebuilding.

Shipped 6 of my oracle sculptures for Artist/Fabricator Sept 12-Dec 5, 2025 at University Museum of Contemporary Art, UMass Fine Arts Center, Amherst Curator: Kristina L. Durocher, Director of Visual Arts Fine Arts Center

“Gun Violence 2023 in U.S. someone was killed by a gun every 11 minutes…” 💔

These memorial garments have been worn in direct actions and memorial vigils, featured in art exhibitions, and include the names of a small representation of those killed by guns in the US in one year.

I’ve been working on “We Honor and Remember the 43,310 Killed by Gun Violence in the U.S. in 2023” - (back and front views). This is the fourth memorial garment annual memorial garments arising from my ongoing research and gathering of names and histories for Gays Against Guns

Every once and a while I go back to her FB to see what kinda crazy made me unfriend, and I’m amazed more of our folks still follow

I really liked the mix of elements, and it is gorgeously designed with the different settings and converging stories

I soooooo remember going to see this gorgeous, haunting film at the Angelika in NYC with some besties from Queer Nation / ACT UP and then going again at least once or twice by myself 🌈🪩🙏❤️ ~ Sylvan

Also GREAT photo ❤️

“ACT UP built a new countercultural social space, one in which people and their relationships were transformed.. Communities inside ACT UP then saw values emerging from their practice… ACT UP was part of a nexus of people defiantly creating their own realities.” ~Sarah Schulman, Let The Record Show

“Abandoned by their families, government, and society, they joined together and forced our country to change against its will, permanently impacting future movements of people with AIDS throughout the world and saving incalculable numbers of future lives.” ~ Sarah Schulman, Let The Record Show

“These were people who were unable to sit out a historic cataclysm. They were driven, by nature, by practice, or by some combination thereof, to defend people in trouble through standing with them… In case of emergency, they were not bystanders.” ~ Sarah Schulman, Let The Record Show

@bkindivisible.bsky.social at our congressional rep Bay Ridge office to urge Nicole Malliotakis to vote NO on this terrible budget. As constituents we tried to go into the office but staffer would only speak to us through the door. I also left another message for Malliotakis through her DC Office

"We cannot change the world alone. To heal ourselves, to restore the earth to life, to create the situations in which freedom can flourish, we must work together in groups." ~ Starhawk, Truth or Dare

Details from special commissioned garments for magical queer wedding this weekend! This Pride month was really all about manifesting these personal, loving art spell pieces for a beloved couple. There’ll be more photos after we join these dear friends for their wedding weekend! 🌈❤️❤️🪡🧵🙏 ~ Sylvan

These two sculptural protest signs get their own post - I told the art couple carrying them these were in a whole other category of awesome protest signs/props creation - make sure to zoom in to look at the details of the second one a little further behind #nokings #nokingsnyc #protestart

"And so the revolution unfolds. We don't need to wait for it, we can be it, live it now. Another world is possible, and necessary, and here. We are its co-creators, its dreamers, its defenders, its midwives, guiding it to light, bringing it to birth." ~ Starhawk

Starting small portraits of Queer Artist Ancestors with this piece honoring Candy Darling! I’m using trapunto technique: stitch on the top layer, cut an opening in the backing, and then stuff the shape, stitch closed the back; here the face has a more sculptural relief quality as a result. 🪡🧵❤️⭐️👏