Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Quilting as an example of Girlhood
Quilting is culturally a feminine task. It is a craft that has been taught by females to generations of females. Pieces of family history is sewn together to create a practical and beautiful family heirloom. Quilting reminds me of an Alice Walker short story, "Everyday Use" about heritage. In the story a poor black single mother of two daughters, with little education, in the rural South documents a celebrationn of womanhood. She snatches it from the hands of her daughter who wants to display the quilt as art. She gives it to her other daughter who wants the quilt as a reminder of her ansestry. Walker suggests that quilting is a connection to her roots and past. The quilt is symbolic of a voice to the past and a link to a forgotten time. And, it is a private construction of girlhood comprised of hope and history that can be put to everyday use.
So, a quilt hold memories and each piece of fabric has its own identity. The quilt holds a history that is not expressed in words, but symbols revealing identity. Women with little education, or even illiterate as the mother in Walkers story, can document their history.
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Yes, I agree that quilting was a voice for the uneducated. Even though our foremothers were "unschooled," the symbols, thought, and attention to detail illustrates how accomplished they were. I am also inspired that out of everyday drudgery and suffering came beauty.
ReplyDeleteI like how you bring the example from Alice Walker's short story and how you illuminate the quilt's symbolism as a voice to the past. The quilt also possesses contextual significance embodying girlhood identity and shared cultural memory for contemporary women who engage in the art. Although many quilters may not wish to display their quilts in an art gallery, I see the quilt as an artistic expression that the artist takes great pride in.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that a quilt holds both memories and cultural significance. It has become a tradition that has become more of an art form. Quilts were once created for practical purposes not just as art to be displayed in a gallery, but for the memories that were stitched into each square. For me my grandmothers quilts were made with alot of love and to keep us warm.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea about quilting as a form of family documentation.
ReplyDelete"A celebration of womanhood," as if quilting were a rite of passage. Yes, it absolutely was then and it is something that has taken on new meaning today. As we think about it being woman's work, we think about it proudly. I like that celebration.
ReplyDeleteQuilting and scrapbooking have so much in common. There's something about the medium being used that makes them marked feminine. It's interesting how photography and painting might be used in similar ways to document a family or a life but the materiality of them make them read a bit differently.
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