Shoulder-to-Shoulder
community, community, what a grand community!
As my hallway exhibition, These Shining Hours, draws to a close, I wanted to tell you the story of this textile work. Psst…..If you're in town, I will be in the gallery Friday, March 13, from 4-6 pm. Please stop by!
This exhibition was The Waiting Room’s first in the Hallway Space. They expanded their available space to offer more opportunities for more artists to show in their gallery. I was most excited to see images of this church pew.
My past, installation-loving, site-generated artist self knew immediately that I wanted to make a piece specifically in response to this pew. For the rest of the show, I intended to display my Labor Objects series and works made from Irish wool blankets.
These blankets were made at an artist residency in West Cork, Ireland. They were inspired by the many neon spray-painted sheep I saw wandering the roads in Ireland. Farmers would spray paint their free-ranging sheep to keep track of them and monitor when they mated, ensuring the safe delivery and health of the lambs.
So I had these spray-painted blankets left over, and I got to work. I decided to remake the bench in fabric. With the help of a studio friend, I figured out how to make a pattern of the bench. I would project the image onto the wall in my studio. Would you believe it? My space was not big enough! This bench was 151” long. My home basement space was sufficient, as it is much bigger. I figured I could make a pattern out of paper and use this to cut the fabric. Much like you would use paper pattern pieces to create garments. My studio mate, Janae owner of threadit, was a great help! She instructed me on how to handle the bulky wool fabric. Shamless plug: Janae is amazing! If you need a color party, styling or tailoring, please contact her.
Back to the tricky wool. The keys are: Bigger seam allowances. HEAT and FORCE.
You literally have to HOT iron the seams and then beat them flat with a piece of wood. I chose a 2 x 4! As I hammered out (literally) the technical aspects of the piece, I also considered conceptual matters. To me, seeing an old church pew reminds me of faith communities. It also reminded me of ‘airing of the quilt’ events that I saw growing up. Like this one, taking place in Winterset, Iowa, at the Iowa Quilt Museum’s annual event.
Quilts have always been about community. And they occupy that yummy space between public and private. Historically, quilts were pieced privately in the domestic, home space. Mostly (but not exclusively) by the hands of talented women. After the piecing was done, the quilting would begin. This often happened at Quilting Bees, during communal gatherings, at Harvest gatherings, or for weddings or celebrations.
“Quilts are born at home, circulate from home to home, move outward into the world, and occasionally into the art world. A quilt presented in a gallery is generally seen as a slice of life, of private space, of home, becoming visible and public. Quilts operate in a life cycle of comings and goings. Quilts are perhaps not meant to project outward, assuming a viewing public. Instead, they project inward, their inside literally steeped with history and sentiment. Fabric settles like the foundation of a house.”Essay: Quilts are Quilts, Allison Smith, Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar, Roderick-Kiracofe
But how does community show up in the gallery space?
The Waiting Room is a glorious example of community in action. At the time I was preparing Shoulder-to-Shoulder, the gallery expanded its curatorial members. In its current form, the gallery and studios were built out through the sweat and blood of SK and their partner, David. And I am sure others!
I thought of those long banquet tables used at feasts, a frequently used metaphor for community. “Don’t build a higher fence; instead, build a bigger table.” Next, I envisioned representing these builders and curators by designating a “seat” for each of them on the bench. I asked them to measure their shoulders. Just like a tailor, fitting you for a jacket.
I sketched various layouts prior to cutting the precious fabric. Cutting out the pieces and finalizing the composition came last. After piecing and banging flat all the seams, I integrated the “seats” with each other through hand stitching and applied details.
In true scrappy spirit, I used what I had on hand to finish these decorative elements, and voila! Finished with a neon, red blanket stitch with threads from a gifted scarf.
Beautiful!!