dirt and pomegranates
bread roses
Tovya maintains life as a florist, art curator, and writer. Her practice is heavily informed by the sartorial, Judaism, stream-of-consciousness prose, and good food. The name Dirt and Pomegranates hails from the Bread and Roses labor movement. It posits beauty not as a privilege, but as a right for all.
Time eludes Tovya. It’s for this very reason she takes shelter in decaying and regenerative sculpture.
Presently, Tovya studies in the school of Sogetsu Ikebana under Ayako Shida. She works on the flower rescue team at Ground Cycle and as a plant technician and floral designer at Jungle NYC. She is the proud co-founder of the craft chocolate company, slowcocoa. Her work has been published in GQ India and Photo Vogue. Tovya resides on Lenape Land known as Brooklyn, with her cat, Tundra.
As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing, "Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses."
As we come marching, marching, we battle, too, for men
For they are women's children and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes
Hearts starve as well as bodies: Give us Bread, but give us Roses!
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient song of Bread;
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew
Yes, bread we fight for—but we fight for Roses, too.
As we come marching, marching, we bring the Greater Days—
The rising of the women means the rising of the race—
No more the drudge and idler—ten that toil where one reposes—
But sharing of life's glories: Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses!
Bread and Roses
James Oppenheim, 1915 Inspired by the words of trade unionist Rose Schneiderman
