Inspired Pandemic Art Quilts
Thank you to the many art quilters on Instagram and Facebook who responded to my call for stories and images about the artwork they were making during the first few months of the pandemic. The response was overwhelming. Although space was limited in the print article which appears in the October/November 2020 issue, I wanted to make sure as many as possible could be seen by readers of Quilting Arts Magazine and have added considerably more images to this article. Stay tuned for an update in the months to come which will also include pandemic quilts made in response to social unrest and political events. – Vivika
Creating Context
Creating a context of this worldwide event will take years of study and the perspective of history. But while the world is still in the midst of this pandemic, a frame of reference is formed by sifting through the news reports and interpreting through an individual lens. Luckily, art quilters have the materials, tools, and skills to make sense of the world through their artistry.
As Linda Colsh’s work “Disappearing Act” explores, isolation is a recurring theme in this body of work. “Before Coronavirus, we were free as birds, but all has changed.”
Art has always reflected the times in which it was made. From early Renaissance masterpieces depicting plague-stricken cities to the Aids quilt, art plays a critical role in reflecting societal and cultural values. The contemporary art quilts created in the early months of the current pandemic are no exception.
Home is our safe place when the winds of change are blowing outside.
Within weeks of the first reports of the virus’ spread in China and ultimately its world-wide presence, fiber artists began to explore its effect through a 21st century lens often influenced by technology, science, and politics.
I am angry about the lack of cooperation in following protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, and I heard or read every one of these excuses.
Even as the lockdown was first being implemented, it was clear that the effects of the virus would be examined widely by art quilt organizations. Part of the response may have been an indirect result of isolation – the popularity of video conferencing. Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) was the first organization to convert an in-person conference to a virtual event, with a tremendously positive response. The video conference format allowed greater participation as it eliminated travel and resulted in members from around the world attending. Other organizations followed this trend, leading to virtual museum tours, guild experiences, pre-recorded technique workshops, and full-fledged quilt shows all moving online.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was working on a mixed media piece with brightly colored circles. As I stitched, I realized that it was filled with coronas (a glowing circle of light around or part of the body resembling a crown). I instantly knew that “Colorful Corona” will be a remembrance of this time experienced during the pandemic.
Responses by Art Quilters
Responses to shelter-in-place orders and isolation seemed to have one of two effects on the artists. They were either inspired to work or distracted and in a funk. Many, like Martha Wolfe, felt disconnected from the world and overwhelmed by the news.
Dr. Fauci has been a voice of calm and reason amidst the chaos and panic of the COVID-19 pandemic. Armed with science and experience, he has risen to the top as a leading authority on the virus and a welcome face in the room.
Martha notes that being isolated during the initial lockdown drained every bit of her creative inspiration. “I turned to photography to keep myself motivated, photographing my community within walking distance of my home and taking pictures of willing neighbors as they sheltered in place.” In the thick of it, Dr. Anthony Fauci became a fixture in the daily virus updates from the White House and eventually his strength and knowledge inspired her. “I looked forward to his valuable contributions. As Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the past 36 years, his knowledge and insight made him a hero in this time.” Her portrait superimposes his familiar face over a background of the virus.
For those who found the extra studio time productive, the additional hours of creativity resulted in an outpouring of work. Susan Lenz, a studio artist whose fiber installations often feature heavily stitched 3-dimensional objects and photos, viewed the extra time seemed more like an unexpected at-home art residency. “My productivity continues to be at an all-time high,” she says. She’s written several articles, updated her website, and made a new body of work – Quarantine Flags using stitched canvas and epoxy – for an outdoor installation.
During the 2020 shutdown, our extended family gathered several times a week for prayer and worship, for conversation, for games, for connection. Our eight zoom screens kept us together as I felt the year slide by: winter to spring, and then summer. On each panel I have written the prayer of St. Chrysostom, with which we close our liturgies of Morning and Evening Prayer. The refrain “and you have promised…that when two or three are gathered in His name, you will be in the midst of them” coming out of my speakers is a sign of the essential virtual connections that kept me grounded and forward looking even as we physically isolated from each other and from the world.
Susie Monday has worked on several pieces in her San Antonio studio during quarantine, using her art as a way to get her head and heart around unfathomable numbers.
The largest, “7 Days, 6 Weeks” followed the evolution of the virus’ spread in her city from mid-March to the end of June, documenting numerous deaths and almost 10,000 confirmed cases. In addition, she posted a video about the process and made more art as part of the 100-day challenge.
Although the fiber art created in the early months of the pandemic has often reflected the actual current events of this time, the subject has not been limited entirely to the pandemic. Some art quilters reported depleting their fabric stash by making masks or functional bed quilts. Others said they couldn’t work in fiber at all and focused temporarily on another medium, like paper.
Making a piece of art can also provide peace and comfort to the maker. As Victoria Findlay Wolfe noted, creating a Covid quilt was outside of her comfort zone. “I had to find something to calm my frenzied emotions. I needed to find a way to focus.”
Her quilt helped her work through the stress and anxiety of quarantine, illness, closing her retail store, and the uncertainty of moving out of the New York City hotspot. “It helped me being uncomfortable, to make something comfortable; I’m grateful I can create and work through the roller coaster of emotions.”
More to Come
Clearly, so many more quilts have been made by tremendously talented art quilters who have been deeply affected by the pandemic. We’ll be featuring more of these quilts as time passes and exploring the nuances of quilts made in response to social, economic, and political repercussions from the long-lasting effects of this world-wide crisis. Thank you to the many quilters who reached out with stories of their own pandemic journeys and words of support to our staff who were – and in many cases still are – working to bring the quilting community together while working from home.
Best,
Vivika Hansen DeNegre
Editor
Haven’t picked up the most recent copy of Quilting Arts? Why not subscribe today so you’ll always be in the know! Each issue is packed with inspirational photos of world class art quilts, unique surface design and art quilting techniques, and updated information about the world of art quilting. Join the fun and never miss the beauty and artistry from Quilting Arts!
Join the Conversation!