Broken - domestic abuse quilt #7

Broken, finished size 16'' by 16''

This quilt is based on the traditional log cabin block. The centers here are black instead of the traditional red that symbolizes a warm hearth. 

The "cabins" are also not complete shelters; they are broken.

Domestic abuse does not affect just one person or even one household or nuclear family. It leaves extended families and friends fragile and disconnected.

Domestic abuse leaves a wake of breakage:

broken objects of sentimental value,

broken  hearts,

broken  friendships,

broken trust,

broken  promises.

If you have a friend or family member who is experiencing abuse here are some things you can do to help. The most important thing to remember is that the choice to leave or not is theirs. You can't make them leave a bad situation but you can be supportive and helpful in their choice. They will need someone they can count on when/if they do decide to end or leave the abusive relationship.

Domestic Violence knows no boundaries when it comes to race/gender/sexuality/age/socioeconomic status/geographic location/culture.  

Remember, domestic abuse affects ten million people in the US every year.  If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please know that the folks at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1 800 799 SAFE or thehotline.org) are ready to listen and support you, as well as refer you to a local program or organization. If you observe someone being abused, you can also call the hotline.  A good samaritan call can save a life!

All of the quilts in the Domestic Abuse series so far can be viewed here.

Quilted Conversations

Last week I joined Laura Hopper and several other Chicago Modern Quilt Guild members at the MSU Museum in East Lansing, MI. Laura had arranged a curator led tour of the current exhibit, Quilted Conversations, and a behind the scenes tour of the museum storage facility.  The Quilted Conversations exhibit is designed to help raise awareness of civil and human rights and the quilts are all of that theme. 

The exhibit is designed to be interactive and spark conversatin. There is a table with paper and pencil for those who are not viewing the show with someone that they can talk to. The "conversation" can then take place between people who have visited and are visiting the exhibit. It was interesting to read the notes that have been left and really made clear to me the power of art to bring deep rooted emotional reactions.

The One for Eric G by Chawne Kimber, 2015

The quilt on the right in the above photo is Quilt for Equality, by Eric the Quilter. 

The One for Eric G - detail, by Chawne Kimber.

I was thrilled to see one of Kathryn Clark's foreclosure quilts in person.

Flint Foreclosure Quilt - detail by Kathryn Clark, 2013. 

Here are a couple of other quilt detail shots. 

I Want to Stitch - detail, by Bethan Ash, 2009

From Vision to Victory - detail,  by Carolyn Crump, 2009

After viewing the exhibit we went to the storage facility to see some of the collections and how things are stored. The curator had two quilts out for our viewing pleasure. The first was this 1896 Temerance Quilt. 

Liberty Tree ("abstain from strong drink") 

Mrs S K Daniels, Mach 1896

The temperance quilt was pulled back to reveal The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue. I remember this quilt and all the controversy around it back when it was making the show rounds.

The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue, Seamsters Local #500, 1979

My favorite block is the Three Mile Island version of Sue's demise.

Three Mile Island

Seamsters Local #500

Thank you, Laura, for arranging a wonderful day at MSU and allowing me to join your group! I may have to become a long distance member of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild!

Edited to add -

Some of the quilts in the Quilted Conversations exhibit will be on display at the Pick Museum in the fall. Here's what Laura Hopper, who is a curator there, has to say about that exhibit.

"The exhibit is called "Quilts and Human Rights," it's a traveling exhibit from the MSU Museum that has been expanded for our upcoming installation to bring the exhibit up to the present day. It was be open at the Pick Museum of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University from September 5 - December 8."