Spread Tee
In collaboration with Meghan Klingenberg, the Spread Tee was created during the first wave of the pandemic in the Summer of 2020.
Like those of us fortunate enough to maintain secure housing throughout the early part of the pandemic, Meghan and I felt an urge to unite our community and build a symbol that would represent that unity, while also contributing towards relief efforts in Portland. As a result, all profits from the tee were donated to our Oregon Food Bank in Portland to help those struggling with food insecurity.
The tee was also a result of creative and logistical support from Carola Söberg and Zack Dean. Carola was instrumental in helping assemble and organize the photos represented on the tee.
“The ability to build this tee highlighting the desperation we witnessed was a humble reminder, to me, that though the path to reaching the inner ring, symbolizing hope and prosperity, seems achievable and within reach, it remains elusive for many.”
The outer ring of the tee would symbolize the shocking scenes people were seeing as the pandemic ravaged through every facet of society, while the inner ring provided the hope of what society would look like when we overcame this daunting period. Zack was instrumental in creating the website and sourcing material to fulfill orders from the community.
The support the community showed for this project and their fellow neighbors was a reminder, to me, that when help is needed most, people will show up if they have direction. While many of the problems highlighted and exacerbated by the pandemic still persist through this recovery, our commitment to address these problems will not waiver.
“Devastating times have put our individual & collective health to the test, but through this, we’ve redefined our commitment to each other as fellow citizens. As we remember what we’ve been through in hopes of where we’ll end up, we must always carry our renewed sense of empathy.”
— Jeremy Ebobisse