The Nahua people call the marigold cempohualxochitl, often translated as “twenty flower,” for the abundance of its petals. In India, it is known as genda, strung into gorgeous garlands for weddings, festivals, and offerings. Each fall its saturated gold floods streets and altars during Día de los Muertos, and in the garden, marigolds bloom tirelessly from early summer until frost. The more they are picked, the more they give. The marigold asks us to meet the world with overflowing color, joy and generosity.

Marigolds, like these works, carry the reminder, especially written to the oppressor, that our beauty, our exuberance, and our play are indeed resistance.