She Who Hears the Cries

Techniques and materials: Pieced, quilted, and appliquéd; reclaimed vintage textiles from 1950’s era formal wear; vintage children’s clothing (1940-1958).

Artwork Statement: She Who Hears the Cries was created from the gowns my mother wore in the early 1950s to high school dances and on her wedding day. By the time she passed, only fragments remained. The piece also includes a small dress she once wore; a blue-striped shirt which I wore on my first trip home; and a pink ensemble that was never worn, price tags still intact. I expect it was purchased for a daughter she always hoped for but who never arrived. My mother was a caregiver. She raised four sons and was primary caretaker for a series of elderly and ailing relatives who meant the world to her. In fact, she kept photographs of family and friends along the hallway to her bedroom so that a day never passed without her being reminded of those she loved. When she would hear a baby crying at her small country church, she would often offer to cradle it. In the arms of a confident and experienced carer, they quickly became contented; an experience most of us, young and not so young, need more of, especially now.

NFS