MdW Fair
2233 S Throop St, Chicago IL
September 9, 2022 to September 11, 2022
10 years into the process, Roman Susan is becoming a real nonprofit – we have tote bags for our supporters! If you’d like to share your Roman Susan love with the world through tangible swag, make a personally significant donation via romansusan.org/support.
We know there are too many totes already in the world – and maybe too many nonprofits? Reusable bags are only worthwhile if they are actually used, and reused, and reused, without necessitting more new material production, more accumulation, and more excess.
All of our totes are hand-constructed by RS founder Kristin Abhalter with thrift store fabrics – or printed directly over the top of existing token bags. The work behind this includes many folks – importantly: Kit Rosenberg devised the original reverse ‘Roman Susan’ design; Vida Sačić helps us look sharper in all things graphic-designed; and John Lacefield is doing the printing.
Do you have excess tote bags we can use in this project? Reach out to art@romansusan.org and we’ll make them newly new and reused. Want a tote but can’t donate right now? We are live screen printing bags on Saturday, September 10 in the Printing Zone on the 2nd floor of MdW. BYOTote and then share the Roman Susan icon wherever you go grocery shopping, gathering, foraging, prepping, or hoarding other things. . . .
"An organic cotton tote needs to be used 20,000 times to offset its overall impact of production, according to a 2018 study by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark. That equates to daily use for 54 years — for just one bag."
––Grace Cook, The Cotton Tote Crisis