I am a juried artist member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), a group of more than 3000 that promotes the art quilt worldwide.
SAQA has recently put together a curated show of 33 art quilts on the subject of guns. This timely and powerful exhibition opens in San José, California on April 22, 2018.
A slideshow of the 33 works is available here. Click on any one of the works to see it more closely. A written artist statement and an audio clip narrated by the artist are also available.
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| 137 Bullets, Diane K. Bird, 41 x 43 inches |
"Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams lost their lives on November 29, 2012. Russell sped away from a Cleveland police officer who had attempted to pull him over for a traffic violation. The ensuing chase ended in a school parking lot, where police officers shot 137 bullets at the pair trapped in the car. They claimed gunfire emanated from the car, but no gun was ever found. Malissa was shot 24 times and Timothy was shot 23 times. Their humanity was erased with the shooting. My quilt tabulates the bullet count that took their lives."
2 comments:
I have children who have chosen to live in the U.S. where the gun culture is of grave concern to me. The piece 'The New American Crucifix' expresses perfectly my fear as my grandchildren approach school age. I am struck by the effectiveness of the messages expressed in what should be a soft, comforting medium.
Thanks for commenting, Jane. It's often true that the contrast between a pointed political opinion and the soft domesticity of fibre can be jarring, and this alone can make a powerful statement.
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