The fall in northwest Indiana has been beautiful, in the garden and out in the world. But these are tense weeks as we head toward a big election, with hopes for some meaningful changes and pathways to making lives better across our troubled country. I am very happy to say that my piece, Openhearted in Witness, will be in the Art=Quilts=Art annual exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn NY. This quilt is part of a four piece series I stitched during the tragic ICE surges in Chicago and Minneapolis this winter.
Openhearted in Witness, 42 × 35”, cotton, linen , repurposed bed and table linens, buttons
This work is built on a vintage dyed cotton mattress pad, as well as dyed quilt fragments and tablecloth. I was thinking about the banners held high during processions for Saint’s days, and wanted to lift up all the people who made a difference, lived out their faith and values and protected the dignity of their neighbors.
“Openhearted is a series of artworks that lift up the many people who opened their hearts and stepped into the winter cold to stand with their neighbors in welcome and witness. Their acts of courage, kindness and humanity remind us all that there is goodness in the world.”
Fall and Summer Reading: Here are some titles I have enjoyed: In print, Country People, by Daniel Mason; Voyagers, by Meg Charlton; Lidie, by Jane Smiley; Backstitch, by Marian Mitchell Donahue; More Than Enough, by Anna Quinlan; and on audio, Whistler, by Ann Pachett ( I loved this); The Great Divide, by Christina Henriquez; Yesteryear, by Caro Clarie Burke (mixed feelings about this one); and Exit Party, by Emily St. Johns Mandel.
