Theme--Healing, Sacred Threads 2015

One of the themes for the Sacred Threads exhibit is healing. I have picked a few of the quilts from this theme to share with you.

Hope is on the Horizon is by Lin Schiffner. The color of this piece is the first thing that drew me in. My eye was drawn by the white bird; the desolation of the landscape/trees felt secondary to the hope I felt when viewing this quilt.

Lin says of her piece, "I made this piece while dealing with a very personal and difficult loss. The design goal was to create a beautiful, still and solemn landscape that portrays a message of hope. The light of a new day and the flying white bird were used to convey the message, "Hope is on the Horizon." The hope and prayer being that despite complete sadness, grief will subside in time and wonderful memories will fill the hole in one's heart."

Trial by Fire was made by Larkin Van Horn. I saw many of these trees when we visited Yellowstone several years ago. I marveled that the trees were still standing after all they had been through. I was told that forest fires can serve as an agent of renewal and change. It made me look at the devastation in a whole new light.

Larkin says of this piece, "Long after a forest fire, a bare tree may yet stand, acquiring the patina of age. To me, this tree represents strength, resilience, perseverance, and humility. Though stark and bare, it still stands--like one who has survived a serious disease. It is altered, but not gone."

The maker of this next piece is Bobbe Shapiro. (She and her sister were the first people I met when I attended the Sacred Threads opening.)

Bobbe says of her piece, "A year after my husband's death, I moved to the Texas Coastal Plain to be closer to my son. In this flat, warm, and humid land where we grow rice, I have finally given up my Minnesota woolens, carried through ten states, and 49 years of marriage. Sweaters and plaid wool shirts haven't come off the closet shelves until now, when they've become joyous dancers on the river's edge." It is hard to tell from the photo, but the three figures on the quilt are cut from Bobbe's "discarded" woolens.

Dowry, by Janice Jones, is a "haunting" piece. It grabbed me right away. I couldn't wait to read how this central figure represented healing.

She says, "There are many places in the world where women are treated as commodities. In training for an RN position with Doctors Without Borders, my daughter traveled to places where women had no voice and were bound and restricted by ancient tradition and culture. Their countries were war torn and their spirits suppressed, but they held on to the healing power of hope for a brighter future. This piece is in honor of these oppressed women."

This last healing-themed piece was made by Joan Raciti and is called From Sorrow to Peace. I have friends who are dealing with depression issues, so this piece "struck close to home."

Joan says, "When I moved to a new house. I lost my hold on earth. Grief and physical pain gripped me as I spun into the black hole of depression. Confused, desolate, and frightened, I realized I lost a strong foundation of 28 years of love and support I had built through the years. I missed my old house, surrounding wooded lot and lush landscaping. In despair and desperation, I fought my way out of the black hole. I moved back to the area and found a house that needed to be embraced with beauty, loved ones, flowers and plants. I put in a pool, chose a gate to welcome loved ones and penciled a landscape plan. Surrounded by loved ones, I worked in the dirt, the garden bloomed and enveloped me. I was at peace again."

I am amazed at the amount of vulnerability shown by these pieces and their stories. Stay tuned for a writeup on inspiration next.

 

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