Last summer I mounted and debuted my ‘Anonymous Was A Woman’ exhibition and so far it has been the most traditional of all my gallery shows. The feature quilt was my Barbara Brackman block of the week Civil War Sampler/Jubilee quilt that I began in January 2011, and completed in February 2012. The original 52 blocks were done within the year but I spent many weeks adding more blocks and designing an original setting, incorporating symbolic references such as the Underground Railroad block, spools of cotton thread, and broken borders. There is a chaotic disorder to the blocks, representing how civil war can tear a country apart, and at the heart of the quilt is a star symbolizing unity. This piece became the centerpiece and inspiration for the entire exhibition, and I created many other historical reproduction quilts to round out the collection.
By creating a variety of reproduction style quilts I attempted to tell the story of women’s connection to needlework throughout history, not only as a necessary household skill, but as social outlet, expressive artform, political statement, charitable fundraiser, and as emotional therapy, many of which are the exact same reasons we create quilts in today’s modern times. Most of the quilts on display were accompanied by historical facts and/or excerpts from women’s diaries relating to that particular time period. Some descriptions explained the design process and decision- making factors for the quilts such as current fashions and availability fabrics or dyes during that particular time period. This second photograph shows a quilt constructed according to specific requirements set down by the Women’s Sanitation Committee, requesting long and narrow quilts to fit soldiers’ hospital cots. Simple patterns utilizing plain fabrics or scraps could be made quickly and economically by local Lady’s Aid Societies or individuals, and sent to the army hospitals where they were in desperate need for bedding. I designed a ‘strippy’ quilt from nine patch blocks set on point with long strips of border-print fabric in between the rows. I used shades of blues and grays with butternut brown to represent both sides of the Civil War.
Throughout the exhibition I displayed various other forms of needlework, including reproduction schoolgirl samplers, three dimensional pieces, and mixed media artworks that expressed a connection to women’s history and my personal history as a needleworker. Also on display were various artifacts such as antique sewing baskets and needlework tools, a wooden ironing board, vintage gloves and photographs, and a selection of antique wooden chairs, symbolizing the domestic domain of women, some displaying even more folded and stacked quilts, and creating an anchoring element for each individual vignette.
‘Anonymous Was A Woman’ will be dismantled soon to make room for a new installation featuring my latest body of work entitled ‘100 days’. Watch this space for upcoming announcements of the show opening or join my email list – carol at artlessfabrications dot com – for gallery updates.