Sewing Together the Past

The women of my family taught me directly and indirectly what it means to be an artist and woman. I was taught artistic practices including sewing and knitting by women who modeled values such as kindness and patience. These lessons are the inspiration for my project of documenting the women in my family. My approach was to begin a genealogy project including gathering documentation, photographing, and collaging.

The series focuses on my mother, Adria Cannon; my grandmother, Ardyth Gunnell Cannon; and my great-grandmother, Alberta Gunnell. My process includes research into their lives which I then express through self portraiture. With these materials I retell their story through collaging and sewing quilt squares. The tradition of quilting has been in my family for generations. The process of making these personal quilts in isolation has been a way of dealing with the loss of connection during this time and is a way to reflect on the past, the present, and the future.