I'm Sorry

Edited by Chelsea Kaiah

I’m Sorry is a space to explore apologies. 

Digesting what apologies really mean to us as humans is important, especially as they intersect with boundaries, acceptance, refusal or denial, and self-healing. We can be sorry for others and ourselves. We can be sorry that the world has awful people and that unfortunately, we encounter them. And how often do we not receive the closure we’re looking for, even when someone does apologize?

What we really want from apologies is to heal and move on from being hurt. And an “I’m sorry” can start that healing process, whether or not we refuse to accept it. I asked artists to digest the phrase I’m Sorry, to investigate the feelings provoked by it, and to use this zine as a platform to form their own closure. They created works that come from history, personal experience, and empathy.

This zine is a placeholder for conveying grief, trauma, or loss through art. It is also an incubator for those who have never received apologies to express their feelings and to reclaim their own narratives. There are histories that some are still trying to heal from. But this issue also shows resiliency and reconciliation—sometimes, an apology really isn’t wanted or needed.

I’m Sorry is empowering the voices of vulnerability.

Thank you to all of the artists in this issue, who come from all spaces across the United States and Canada.

I'm Sorry

Edited by Chelsea Kaiah

I’m Sorry is a space to explore apologies. 

Digesting what apologies really mean to us as humans is important, especially as they intersect with boundaries, acceptance, refusal or denial, and self-healing. We can be sorry for others and ourselves. We can be sorry that the world has awful people and that unfortunately, we encounter them. And how often do we not receive the closure we’re looking for, even when someone does apologize?

What we really want from apologies is to heal and move on from being hurt. And an “I’m sorry” can start that healing process, whether or not we refuse to accept it. I asked artists to digest the phrase I’m Sorry, to investigate the feelings provoked by it, and to use this zine as a platform to form their own closure. They created works that come from history, personal experience, and empathy.

This zine is a placeholder for conveying grief, trauma, or loss through art. It is also an incubator for those who have never received apologies to express their feelings and to reclaim their own narratives. There are histories that some are still trying to heal from. But this issue also shows resiliency and reconciliation—sometimes, an apology really isn’t wanted or needed.

I’m Sorry is empowering the voices of vulnerability.

Thank you to all of the artists in this issue, who come from all spaces across the United States and Canada.

Cheslea Kaiah is the editor of Femme Salée's fifth zine issue, I'm Sorry.

Chelsea Kaiah (she/her) is a passionate activist for Native rights, awareness, & sustainability. Her practice involves adapting customary materials & techniques, such as pine needle weaving, porcupine quilling, & hide work, to address resilience, mental health, system reformation, & means of healing. Kaiah is White River Ute & White Mountain Apache/Irish settler, born on the Northern Ute reservation. She earned her BFA at Watkins College of Art & Design in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2022, Kaiah was awarded the Native Arts & Cultures LIFT grant for early career support & is the Native Arts Artist-in-Residence at the Denver Art Museum, November 2022-February 2023. She was also invited to participate in Redline’s Artist-in-Residency program for emerging, contemporary Colorado artists. She currently resides in Denver.

I'm Sorry

Contents

#link:hover { color: #F2942F; } I. Introduction by Chelsea Kaiah

#link:hover { color: #6BC09C; } II. SMAD Peach by Sumer Mohsen

#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } III. Please leave a message 001 by Brandyn Busico

#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } IV. NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS by Mahalia Hunt
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } V. Violin Landscapes by Joshua Jauregui
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } VI. Remembering by Iako'tsi:rareh Amanda Lickers
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } VII. Roses Soft by Cherish Marquez
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } VIII. Untitled by Holly Nordeck
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } IX. Jane Roe by Natani Notah
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } X. Crater by Rowan Hynds
#link:hover { color: #F35C18; } XI. Bridges We Burn by Carmen Selam