It’s been quite a summer – I’ve had 12 of 14 finished quilts of my recent abortion rights series that have appeared in three different gallery shows in San Francisco. The series incorporates vintage lace and doilies that I have collected from estate sales and antique malls throughout the country. I am moved by these works of art, historically handmade by women as beautiful items for their home, were found as tossed-off, undervalued items and wished to bring them out into the open as an expression on behalf of women everywhere.
I started with “Less than a fully adult human” which was created in response to the jarring loss of women’s reproductive rights and a guaranteed right to an abortion in the U.S in 2022. Featuring the memorable quote by Ruth Bader Ginsburg from her Senate confirmation for the Supreme Court, the piece seeks to make a subversive statement about the status of women in the U.S. Inspired by the work of artists such as Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer, I’ve collected compelling texts and phrases that have inspired me from protest signs at marches for women, abortion rights, and social justice to create my series, Women’s Work. This series of art quilts contrasts harsh text and ideas about abortion and women’s rights with stereotypically soft, feminine pink/pastel quilt tops that are embellished with overtly lacy repurposed vintage doilies rescued from cast-off bins and estate sales.
Up in Arms: Reproductive Rights in Post-Roe America at The Drawing Room SF:
The Wild Side at Arc Studio/Gallery
From the Live Worms Gallery TEXTural Show:
