Forced to Flee (SAQA Global Exhibition) by SAQA

ISBN: 978-1-7324260-3-0 Cover artwork (clockwise from top left) Cathy Miranker, Uta Lenk, Charlotte Bird, Eileen Donovan, Mary Palmer, Sabi Westobi, Pamela Burns Catalog design by Jennifer Gauerke Contents copyright ©2019 Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. Images copyright the individual artists. Images may not be reproduced or used in any way without written permission. All rights reserved. PO Box 141 Hebron CT 860.530.155106248 www.saqa.com This exhibit is proudly sponsored by

FOREWORD

Throughout history, people have been forced to flee from their homes for their own safety and survival due to war, oppression, natural disasters, and atrocious human rights violations. The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees was adopted to address the increasing numbers of people needing protection, with the understanding that effective solutions would require international cooperation. That Convention document continues to influence the measures used today to address the challenges arising from the refugee crisis that is affecting countries around the globe. Artists were encouraged to illustrate these issues, including their impact on families and communities, the stress placed on host countries, and the need for new initiatives, funding, and international cooperation to find solutions to this global crisis.

Art quilts have long challenged the notion that quilting is a comfortable art form, and SAQA artists have not shied away from tackling difficult issues from around the world. Interpretation of the theme was varied, ranging from the horrors inflicted on the Jews during the twentieth century and the current dreadful human conflict experienced in many countries such as Syria, to environmental issues brought about through global warming. The common link is the sense of anger at the injustices served on those who have been displaced. The artists have expressed these feelings using gestural mark making and stitching to create haunting faces, ghostly figures, chaotic backgrounds, and stark surroundings. The huge numbers of people involved have also influenced the artists and are referred to in many statements; the number of refugees, and the number of people who have gone missing or who have been killed or died. These people have been represented in a variety of ways from impersonal lists at one extreme, to beautifully executed soulful faces at the other. To convey an idea of the vast numbers involved, people have been depicted as abstract forms in endless columns, as shadowy outlines, and as matchstick figures fleeing across a barren land.

The image of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea, went viral, demonstrating the power of the internet in spreading awareness of global problems. Elizabeth Michellod-Dutheil’s Diaspora is a moving composition based on that image, all the more poignant for its simplicity and use of scale; one small boy in a vast landscape.

The high standard of the works and their content, combined with the artists’ statements, have been so thought-provoking that many of the images have stayed in my mind long after the selection process ended. Overall, I found the attempts at abstraction less successful, something that is possibly not surprising with such an emotive subject matter. I am aware that figurative and representational works dominate in the final selections, but many are multi-layered, revealing more of their stories on closer inspection. Text in different forms has played an important part in many works, whether stencilled or appliquéd harsh single words, storytelling in cursive script, lists, or printed mementos.

It is always an honor to be asked to review work by textile artists and I would like to thank SAQA for the privilege. The jurying process is one of excitement and anticipation when artworks are seen for the first time. However, I had not expected to be so stirred by the stories that were unveiled from past and present, some well known, others deeply personal. To select only 36 out of 191 pieces was hard, and I had to make some tough decisions. Had numbers permitted, I could easily have selected many more. The subject for the exhibition, “Forced to Flee,” obviously resonated deeply with SAQA’s membership, and submissions from non-American members were higher than usual.

JUROR’S ESSAY

Dr. Susan Beryl Marks developed a strong interest in Art and Design History, earning her PhD in Art History from the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom, in 2006. Her doctoral thesis explored these divisions by examining contemporary quiltmaking practices, which included a comparative study of historical developments in quiltmaking in the United Kingdom and the United States. Additionally, she has authored numerous essays on a variety of quilt exhibits and quilt-related topics which have been published in exhibition catalogs and magazines. Dr. Marks is currently an Associate Fellow of the International Quilt Study Center.

Using textiles as the prime medium in their works, the artists have been able to add further layers of meaning. These are not pretty pieces. The contrast between the sense of physical comfort normally associated with textiles is at odds with the harsh imagery, creating visual tension. Close examination of some pieces reveals a recurring use of barbed wire, a literal, vicious physical barrier and also a visual metaphor. Stark silhouettes with jagged edges jump out of muted backgrounds, and explosions of fiery color disturb subdued palettes.

Other images may be familiar, too, such as the inadequate boats overladen with refugees on rough seas, or the haunting photographs taken during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.

The artists have been sensitive in selecting techniques to form the expressive palettes that complement their subject matter. Loose threads, raw edge appliqué, distressing, and burning, as well as other surface decoration techniques such as stencilling, mark making, and photo, screen and breakdown printing, have been chosen and handled masterfully. Technique has not been allowed to dominate. Whether hand stitched, embroidered, or machine quilted, stitching has formed another important component, binding the works together both literally and metaphorically, as in No Fixed Address by Paula J. Swett. A further nod to quilting traditions can be seen with the loose block construction that underpins several pieces, such as in Wanted – A Home by Diane E. Wespiser. The power of textiles to convey memory has long been recognized and is something to which textile artists seem particularly sensitive. In some of the works, the medium chosen has become part of the message. Material from lifejackets gathered on Lesvos, or remnants of clothing gathered from an abandoned camp, provide a tangible connection between the refugees, the artist, and viewers. Karin Täuber speaks of the scent of sweat, fear, and body fluids still emanating, despite washing, from the textiles she used in Life Jacket Graveyard of Lesvos. In Liberty Deconstructed/ Reconstructed, Cathy Miranker uses construction site fencing as a physical barrier in her work, referencing the proposed wall between Mexico and the United States.

The most successful works are those where medium, message, and technique come together in cohesive and original compositions. Reviewing the works once again in order to compose this essay, I was moved to tears by many of the sorrowful stories in these powerful depictions. These works are accessible even if they can make uncomfortable viewing. Audiences will surely come away with images etched into their memories, and with more awareness of the tragic plight of large sections of humanity.

— Dr. Sue Marks

5 the artists

Roadmap is a sculptural book describing the journey many take from Honduras, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico to escape violence and poverty. People flee brutal conditions with few possessions, some carrying or sending children alone in a desperate attempt to save their lives. Each panel of the road map is a story that represents a part of the journey. The back of the book is a symbolic picture of the people living in the shadows. The front cover includes excerpts from “Borderbus” by poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, and on the back cover are tweets from President Trump. Cotton, acrylic paint, dye, liquid watercolors, pigment sticks, pencils, thread, photo transfer Printed, painted, free motion stitched

Margaret L. Abramshe Saint George, Utah, USA

7 Roadmap 14 x 49 inches | 2018

Geneviève Attinger Pontivy, France Out of the 5,386 migrants who died or disappeared in 2017 on the road to exile, 3,119 went missing crossing the Mediterranean Sea for Europe.* These are minimum estimates as many deaths go unrecorded. Missing Migrants depicts this tragic and sadly habitual scenario. There is not only the loss of human life, but the destruction of the family unit. Integration into the host country becomes more complex if those who are most vulnerable, women and children, find themselves alone. Letting migrants die at sea is not an option to reduce or solve the problem of migration. The immediate need is to save lives. Cotton, hemp, silk organza, wool, tea bags Felted, monoprinted, dyed, hand embroidered, machine pieced, machine quilted *Source: International Organization for Migration

9 Missing Migrants 31 x 28 inches | 2018

Charlotte Bird San Diego, California, USA Inupiat villages along the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean are in imminent danger of being swept away by the effects of global climate change. Ice is forming later in the winter and permafrost is thawing. Fierce winter surf that used to break far from shore now breaks on the shoreline.

Ancestral villages were once semi-nomadic; the people lived on the barrier islands only part of the year. In the early 1900s, the U.S. government and the Lutheran Church established permanent villages. Now the villages must move to higher ground. The plight of these villages is the “canary in the coal mine.” Hialeah, are you listening?

Cotton, polyester organza Hand cut, fused, hand dyed, appliquéd, machine stitched, machine quilted, hand embroidered

11 Goodbye My Village 48 x 32 inches | 2018 Photo by Gary Conaughton

Populations and countrysides were annihilated. Many were injured and would die later. Those who survived, fled. Future generations paid the price as well. Remember Hiroshima as you view NEVERMORE IT MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN! Cotton, silk, paper, acrylic paint, iridescent medium Hand dyed, painted, machine quilted, thread painted

Melani Brewer Cooper City, Florida, USA NEVERMORE was inspired by current rhetoric of the President of the United States when his tweets and statements threatened Kim Jong-un with nuclear warfare. As he boasted of our nuclear power and what he would do to North Korea, Hiroshima flashed before my eyes. Devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was complete.

NEVERMORE 30 x 40 inches | 2018 Photo by Matt Horton 13

Pamela S. Burns Martinsville, Indiana, USA From January 1 to October 12, 2018, there were 49,658 wildfires in the U.S., burning 8.1 million acres of land. Inspired by the impact on people’s lives, I depicted the layers of a wildfire—the people and animals forced to flee for survival, and the souls of those who lost their lives. Trying to scorch some cheesecloth for this piece, I immediately had an out-of-control fire in my sink and needed help to extinguish it. How quickly these fires can start and spread became evident. As the world continues to warm, we can expect more fires. My piece attempts to address this global challenge. Cheesecloth, burlap, cotton Layered, reverse appliquéd, hand dyed, scorched, hand and machine quilted

Scorched Earth 36 x 40 inches | 2018 15

Cotton, non woven material,

stitched, appliquéd, painted 16

Betty Busby Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA This piece was inspired by the experiences of our Palestinian exchange student who grew up in the midst of constant warfare. While he was with us, his parents’ apartment was destroyed by missiles. Continuous urban conflict affects the innocent, who are so often unable to escape. silk, Machine

photo transfer

Mourning Doves 41 x 50 inches | 2011 17

Harriet Cherry Cheney

Dobbs Ferry, New York, USA My Ukrainian Jewish grandmother, Bluma, talked about “hiding in the fields from the Cossacks.” I wish I had asked her more questions. Maybe I did, and she chose not to “Pogram”answer.is a Russian word that means to demolish violently. Anti-Jewish riots swept through the Ukraine and southern Russia from 1881-1884. After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Red Army soldiers, Ukrainian nationalists, and Polish officials raped, looted, and wreaked havoc, killing tens of thousands of Jews. My grandfather, Morris, emigrated first. He worked eight years to raise passage money for Bluma and their two young sons. How did Bluma manage? I only know that she came by way of Cuba. Morris and Bluma reunited in Philadelphia and had one more child, my mom. Fabric, wood, yarn, fibers, silicone, feathers, plastic tubing, paper, beads, paint roller Sewn, embroidered, woven, beaded

Anne Daughtry Eugene, Oregon, USA For five years I lived in Turkey, a three-hour drive from Aleppo, Syria. I frequently spent weekends shopping the bazaars and gazing in awe at the fourteenth century Thisarchitecture.lovely,ancient hub of the Silk Road has been shattered—children murdered, grandchildren starving, growing up without schooling, family, and laughter. Millions camp abroad, helpless to stop this cataclysm. My piece shows people fleeing, hurrying to fleets of green buses that will carry them to bleak tent camps in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Greece, and elsewhere. Once a city of six million people, five thousand now leave Aleppo daily. Cotton, wool, plastic fibers, tulle, silk, embroidery floss, fabric paint, plastic vegetable bags, leaves, flowers, vinegar, wheat paste Eco dyed, ice dyed, painted, photo printed, drawn, free motion stitched, hand stitched, scrunched

Aleppo 55.5 x 38.5 inches | 2018 21

Photograph on cotton canvas Printed, thread painted

Jennifer Day Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Tengo Hambre is based on a photograph that I took as I ventured into the inhabited dump outside Managua, Nicaragua. The boy with the pickaxe had been working hard since dawn alongside his father and brother to uncover items to sell. His bag was filled with metal and plastic. At noon time, his sister brought him a bowl of fish soup. The family had left their home in the mountains to live in the dump and collect a few coins each day. They hoped to work in a different place soon. It is my honor to chronicle these daily struggles and share their story.

Tengo Hambre - I am Hungry 38 x 43 inches | 2016 23

Photos of the children’s artwork used with permission of David Gross, the photographer.

Gabriele DiTota Melbourne, Florida, USA Chaos is the word that best describes the lives of the Syrian refugee children who drew the pictures incorporated into this piece. These children have lost their childhoods. They have seen brutality and murder up close and personal. They have lost their sense of security, their homes, their families, and their friends. I have composed this piece using the children’s artwork, stripped raw, with scars and tatters, and hanging threads. I feel their pain, and I also hope and pray “will be the next day better.”

Cotton, paint, interfacing, netting Raw edge appliquéd, burned, computer transferred, hand painted, printed, dyed

Will be the Next Day Better 50 x 72 inches | 2015 25

Hope for Tomorrow is part of a series done in black and white on the idea of inequality and injustice in our world. Migration of people and families is constant today. Whatever the reason—political, economic, war, health, famine, race, or religion—people leave what they know and seek new lives that are full of uncertainty. Many often find themselves alone and unwelcome. Cotton, paint, dye Flour paste resisted, painted, dyed, screen printed, hand stitched, machine quilted

Eileen E. Donovan Queensbury, New York, USA

Hope For Tomorrow 40 x 36 inches | 2016 27

stitched 28

dyed,

appliquéd,

Catherine A. Drummond Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada 2017, I was struck by a news item mentioning that there were over 65.5 million displaced people in the world. There are now over 66 million with no end or solution in sight. This piece expresses the horror of having to leave with nowhere to go. Commercial and dyed fabric Rust raw edge free motion

Displaced 26.5 x 31 inches | 2018 Photo by Larry Goldstein 29

Jim Hay Takasaki, Gunma, Japan

My parents ventured forth from other countries, meeting years later in Detroit, Michigan. They sought a new future and were welcomed. A first generation American, I have continued in this spirit, now living halfway around the world. In this artwork, two men struggle to maintain their balance, hurrying away from danger and toward the unknown. A broken woman stumbles in exhaustion. A nursing mother cradles her child. Whether her head cover is for religious observance or to protect her from the elements matters not. She is focused on her baby. The rabbit and the crow whirl and dance. It is the frenetic Dance of Life and Death. Cloth, work glove, paint, ink, photographs, lace, archival pigment ink, Appliquéd,string reverse appliquéd, hand printed, drawn, photo transferred

REFUGE or REFUSE: offer sanctuary or discard as trash 91 x 78 inches | 2018 31

Sandra E. Lauterbach Los Angeles, California, USA Over 65 million people in today’s world have fled their homes to seek refuge, as did my family during World War II. This piece was inspired by my visit to Remuh Cemetery in Krakow, Poland. The cemetery was destroyed during the war, but tombstone fragments were recovered and formed into a wall. I’ve interwoven photos and wartime family documents to depict my family’s journey, from a pre-war wedding menu and photos of young children, to wartime letters, a Pledge of Allegiance card, and a Los Angeles business card. The color photo of our sons shows hope for the future. Hand stitching signifies lost families and homes. Tragically, the story of this piece is still occurring today. Digitally printed fabric Digitally manipulated, printed, machine quilted, hand stitched

From Generation to Generation 60 x 36 inches | 2014 33

Eunhee Lee Seoul, South Korea My interest in refugees began during the Syrian civil war when many were forced to flee their homeland. They risked their lives to survive, but due to the complex interests of nations, they were not always accepted.

The international community agonizes a lot about accepting countless refugees due to the actions of hostile terrorist groups. The perception that all refugees are dangerous is a prejudice. They are also human beings. War or other unfortunate events could cause any of us to be refugees. In this piece, refugees are suffering and expressing their hope that we will not forget them.

Hand dyed cotton, paintsticks, arcylic paint Hand dyed, machine quilted, fused, machine appliquéd, painted, stenciled

They are also us. 42.5 x 29 inches | 2018 35

Uta Lenk Vilsbiburg, Germany The UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) proclaims basic human rights which are currently being ignored, violated, and circumvented by European countries dealing with refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean. I have met and become good friends with several people who came to Europe that way. They don’t talk much about the actual boat trip. But seeing pictures of a full boat on the water, when the waves are too high, tells the story they can’t talk about. I dedicate this quilt to the many people who have drowned on that “deadliest route to Europe” * and were deprived of finding a better life. Silk, hand-dyed fabrics, ikat-fabric, linen Machine and hand stitched, pieced, woven, appliquéd

*New York Times 36

Everyone has the right 44 x 64 inches | 2018 Photo by Andreas Hasak 37

Kathleen Loomis Louisville, Kentucky, USA The refugees who seek sanctuary around the globe are seen by many as threats, as beggars, as invaders, as terrorists, as parasites, and as criminals. Perhaps things would be different if we could see them as people, reaching out in desperation for a place of safety and hope, as our own ancestors may have done.

Vintage quilt fragments, vintage jean fragments, cord, yarn, wire, Wrapped,burlapstitched

Tired and Poor 17 x 20 inches | 2018 39

This little boy who died on a beach is a symbol that moves us and reminds us of the cruelty of the world. This piece pays homage to all innocent victims of planetary conflicts due to war, earthquakes, and other tragic elements caused by man or nature. Old sheet, water soluble wire Snow dyed, machine quilted

Elizabeth Michellod-Dutheil Le Châble, Valais, Switzerland

Diaspora 62 x 39 inches | 2015 41

Cathy Miranker San Francisco, California, USA Liberty Deconstructed/Reconstructed is my disillusioned, satiric version of a prototype wall for the United States–Mexico border. It features recycled fencing strung between slats that are surprisingly green in such an arid landscape...and somehow familiar. That’s because they come from a disgraced American icon—patinated copper slabs from the Statue of Liberty. Polyester wall tapestries, plastic orange construction-site fencing, embroidery thread Machine quilted, free motion quilted, hand embroidered

Liberty Deconstructed/Reconstructed 27.5 x 27 inches | 2018 Photo by Douglas Sandberg 43

Marie Mitchell Perth, Western Australia, Australia Our country, our home, our freedom, our lives...most of us wouldn’t give these up willingly. Persecution, war, and violence force refugees to make life and death choices. Hurriedly packing their belongings in backpacks and sacks, they begin the dangerous and arduous journey to safety and new lives. The graffiti left behind records their terror and confusion in their native languages. Burlap, hand dyed cotton, gauze, sheer curtain fabric, watercolor pencils, ink, bridal netting, oil sticks, fabric marker Stenciled, screen printed, painted, drawn, raw edge appliquéd, free motion stitched

Walking the Refugee Road: Forced to Flee 35 x 23.5 inches | 2017

Photo by David Mitchell

Hildegard Mueller Lennestadt, Germany Stumbling Blocks are metal “stones” engraved with the names of Jewish, Sinti, and Romany families, and disabled citizens who were deported by the German National Socialists before and during World War II. The blocks are set into the pavement in front of the homes where these people used to live before they were killed. The German artist Gunter Demnig set hundreds of stumbling blocks in cities all over Europe to memorialize their lives. Unfortunately, people of today walk over these blocks without realizing what they have to tell us. I focused on these stumbling blocks so people see and remember, “Never Again.” Cotton, wool, organza paper, beads Breakdown printed, screen printed, laminated, machine quilted, hand stitched

Stumbling Blocks 47 x 64 inches | 2014 47

Lifejackets, dissolvable fabric, rubber raft material Machine stitched

In 2015, over 600,000 refugees arrived from war torn countries like Syria, to the island of Lesvos, Greece. My husband went to Lesvos to provide technical support in the refugee camps. As a diver and ex-lifeguard, he also spent time helping to land boats. He was horrified to find that many lifejackets didn’t have flotation material, and the boats often had inadequate fuel. He came home heartbroken for the thousands he had seen fleeing for their lives. He brought back lifejacket shells and pieces of raft material, asking me to make something. Prayer is made from lifejacket material to acknowledge the worldwide refugee crisis.

Mary Palmer Innishannon, County Cork, Ireland

Prayer 132 x 36 inches | 2017 Photo by Christian Haubold, Bridgemount Photography 49

Claire Passmore Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom

Voids replace those killed by violent acts; children surrounded by chaos and destruction, many alone, but alive; survivors from overcrowded boats, saved from drowning by passing ships. Families, orphans, and survivors are crammed into camps with no certainty as to when, if ever, they will be re-homed or be able to return to their native lands. Two lonely people stand on the other side of the fence. Have they succeeded in their quest to seek refuge in a foreign land, or are they us, watching this tragedy unfold? Who are the lucky ones? Cotton, organza, fiber reactive dye, oil paintstick, acrylic paint, printing ink Hand dyed, monoprinted, stenciled, pieced, free motion quilted

The Lucky Ones? 69.5 x 29 inches | 2018 51

Maya Schonenberger

Miami, Florida, USA

“Even if my eyes cannot see you anymore, my heart always will.”

I came across this quote when reading Iter Palaestinum, a collection of notes written by Swedish botanist and physician Frederik Hasselquist (1722–1752) as he traveled through Armenia. His words left such a strong impression on me, that after my own visit to Armenia, they became the inspiration for the piece. I am sure this sentence will touch the heart and soul of every refugee and displaced person no matter what the cause.

Fabric, fiberglass screen, dryer sheets, fabric, grommets, paint

Layered, mono printed, painted, raw edge appliquéd, machine and hand stitched

Armenian Diaspora 32 x 56 inches | 2014 Photo by Werner Boeglin 53

Dr. Miklos Szegő was my husband’s grandfather. Miklos was a wealthy farmer, lawyer, and a Jewish Council Leader in Budapest. He enabled many Jews to escape the Nazis, including his sons and wife, before he was killed. One of the last was a young girl named Marika Chana, who played a pioneering role in the new State of Israel, today a country of modern cities with high levels of income, education, and culture. Home to many Jewish refugees, Israel generated a new homeless people— Palestinians. A fragile peace exists, but there is substantial conflict and poverty in neighboring areas. People still have not learned to treat each other with humanity and respect. Hand dyed fabric, acrylic inks, gesso, permanent marker, fabric Sprayed,paintspainted, marked, drawn, written

Christine Seager Devizes, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

Chana’s Quilt 37 x 30 inches | 2018 Photo by Nick Seager 55

Austin, Texas, USA

Cotton, nylon organza, batiks, textile paints

Painted, fused, appliquéd, pieced, thread painted, free motion quilted, embellished, overlayed

Sara Sharp

Rising temperatures are changing the face of our cities and wildlands. Continuing drought and wildfires affect both humans and wildlife. They are migrating to find reliable supplies of water for drinking, cleaning, agriculture, industry, and more. This quilt symbolizes the diminishing rainfall, as well as the resulting heat and wildfires that cause both conflict and competition for resources around the world. These Canadian geese must travel much farther north to find the temperature, water, and food they need. We must continue to search for ways to protect and conserve this most essential ingredient needed to support all life.

Fleeing From Drought 53 x 34 inches | 2015 57

Paula J. Swett Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA Along the Adriatic Sea, I walked through an abandoned camp where refugees had landed. There were many, many remnants of their lives left behind. Hope lies not in the remains, but in these people’s strength, courage, and willingness to rebuild wherever they go. I created this piece with found objects from the camp, not to lament what was left, but to honor the spirit the refugees took with them. Fabric remnants, embroidery floss Hand stitched

No Fixed Address 15 x 17 inches | 2018 59

Karin Täuber Blacksburg, Virginia, USA Lesvos, a small Greek island, is home to the “Mountain of Misery” made from thousands of life jackets and rubber dinghies discarded by refugees crossing the Aegean Sea for SmugglersEurope. squeeze 60 people onto boats built to hold a dozen for a journey that can take a few hours...or days. Drownings in the azure waters are too often the reality; many life jackets are fake, filled with sponges. This piece includes fabric from discarded life jackets. Despite being washed, the material retains a very distinctive smell—a mixture of fear, worry, panic, stress, diarrhea, saltwater, sweat, and tears. Material from life jackets, fabric, tulle, stabilizer Hand appliquéd, free motion machine quilted

Life Jacket Graveyard of Lesvos 62 x 46 inches | 2018 61

Jo Thomas Gansevoort, New York, USA I was drawn to a photo of a young refugee peering out from behind barbed wire. The photo was so powerful, I felt this child’s angst and was inspired to do what I could to expose his sadness. Some people reveal emotions through words, but my strength lies in expressing the depth of my feelings visually. I wrote to Zoriah, the award-winning journalist who took the photo, and he gave me permission to use it for this piece. Hand-dyed,Cotton mono-printed, collaged, stitched

Child Behind Barbed Wire 36 x 27 inches | 2018 Photo by Zoriah Miller 63

Collaged, photo transferred, rust dyed, stenciled, fused, machine pieced, hand stitched

Batik, commercial, and burlap fabric, texture medium, vintage lace and fabric, embellishments

Christine Vinh Arlington, Virginia, USA The healing process has begun in Cambodia, but grief is still close to the surface for those who survived the “Zero Years” of the Khmer Rouge. Our guide, with tears streaming down her face, told us of losing her entire family. Her father, one of the “new people,” had taught at the high school turned prison and torture chamber.

An artist we met painted portraits of victims on burlap, thus my use of burlap for the picture of the mother and child, two among the thousands tortured and eliminated at the Tuol Sleng Prison, the same high school where our guide’s father had taught.

25 x 19.5 inches | 2015 65

Carol J. Vinick West Hartford, Connecticut, USA Amnesty was inspired by the story of Fauzia Kassindja, a 17-year-old girl who fled Togo to escape being forced to endure a polygamous marriage and the custom of female genital cutting. Fauzia had an idyllic childhood, raised by loving parents. After her father’s death, her aunt made plans for her cutting ceremony and marriage to an older man. Fauzia fled to the United States, naïvely thinking she would receive asylum. Instead, she was put in detention for more than a year. She ultimately won her case, creating a precedent for granting asylum based on gender-based persecution. Using color to contrast her happy childhood with her dark time in prison, I hope to convey the pain caused by our immigration laws. Cotton, wool yarn Raw-edge appliquéd, couched, machine quilted

Amnesty 41 x 45 inches | 2008 Photo by Tim Becker 67

Diane E. Wespiser Lee, Massachusetts, USA The United Nations has reported that the world is experiencing the greatest number of displaced people in our history. Over 65 million people were displaced by conflict and persecution at the end of 2016. Over 22 million people are currently classified as refugees, and more than half of those are children. This quilt, with its improvisational faces floating in a sea of blues, is a reminder of this humanitarian crisis. Throughout history, people have taken perilous voyages over rough seas seeking asylum. Currently people are crossing the Rio Grand River and the Mediterranean Sea, once again facing life-threatening hazards in search of a home. Pieced,Cotton machine quilted, hand quilted

Wanted - A Home 68 x 54 inches | 2018 Photo by Robert Wespiser 69

Sabi Westoby London, Middlesex, United Kingdom

On World Refugee Day in 2018, The Guardian newspaper published UNITED’s “List of Deaths,” with 34,361 known refugees and migrants who have died in the past 25 years attempting to reach the EU. The stark data was so shocking in its detail that I felt compelled to make an artwork of remembrance. It was essential to show the human side of the refugee crisis, which I feel is regularly overlooked in the media. I also wanted to give form to those who died, with shadowy figures of men, women, and children. Fabric, paint sticks Quilted, stenciled, digitally printed, painted, hand stitched, machine stitched Data source: www.unitedagainstracism.org

Page 27 - Exodus 1 44 x 37 inches | 2018 Photo by Benjamin Westoby 71

*From the poem “Satan Speaks” in Spirits in Bondage; A Cycle of Lyrics

Grace H. Wever Union Grove, Alabama, USA C.S. Lewis, a soldier in WW I’s trenches, captured the desperation of the times: “I am the bomb, the falling death.”* Aerial bombardments roiled massive stone foundations, while children, cocooned in half-lit bunkers, slept fitfully. The ensuing firestorms raged, consuming even noxious air. Breathless survivors surged upward, vaporized by the inferno outside. Tens of millions fled. At the city’s outskirts, my husband, just ten, doused his home’s burning roof. We eventually met, married, and raised children with Old World traditions, trimming our yuletide tree incautiously with candles. Years thereafter I recognized the firelight reflected in his eyes as smoldering embers of those long-past firestorms. Cotton and other textiles, art papers, encaustic wax Collaged, embellished, hand dyed, free motion stitched

Firestorm 72 x 38 inches | 2018 Photo by Jeff White Photography 73

Isabelle Wiessler Gundelfingen, Germany Mare Dolorosso was created in 2015. Three years later, it is terrible to know that so many people—most of them from Africa—are still trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea every summer to reach Europe. They face enormous sacrifices and risks to flee their homes, where they no longer see any future or hope for themselves. Cotton, Hand

acrylic paint, expandable paint

dyed, machine stiched, hand painted 74

Mare Dolorosso 54 x 31 inches | 2015 75

Diane M. Wright Guilford, Connecticut, USA Emu Camps illustrates the plight of many indigenous peoples around the world. The descendants of those who were chased, slaughtered, or rounded up into permanent “communities” or “reservations,” remain to this day. They still often have to defend the validity of their claim to their homeland.

Cotton, netting, bean seeds, paint sticks Pieced, appliquéd, stenciled, hand quilted, sewn

Emu Camps 37 x 30 inches | 2008 Photo by David R. Wright 77

ABOUT

One of the many member benefits SAQA offers is to bring beautiful, thought-provoking, cutting-edge artwork to venues across the United States and around the world. The exhibitions not only give artists the opportunity to show their work, but also expose the public to the variety and complexity of the art quilt medium. In addition to mounting museum-quality exhibitions that travel the world, SAQA documents the art quilt movement through exhibition catalogs such as this one. These catalogs serve as not only as preservation and educational tools, but also as sources of inspiration and beauty to be returned to again and again.

Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications. Founded in 1989 by an initial group of 50 artists, SAQA now has over 3,500 members worldwide: artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators, and corporate sponsors. Since its establishment, the organization has grown alongside the evolution of the quilt as an art form. Today, SAQA defines an art quilt as “A creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure.”

9781732426030 52000 ISBN 978-1-7324260-3-0$20.00