Look Back & Step Forward

To witness any of the day’s activities was to dip into the embodiment of complete focus. Children and adults, strangers and friends of all ages were softly murmuring together or simply engrossed in their project at hand. Old rags were being transformed with indigo and rubberbands into a landscape of vibrant starburst abstractions. Scraps of fabric were assembled into a tapestry of color that paid homage to the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers, also descendants of slaves. A gorgeous community weaving project was taking organic, wild shape with yarns that had been donated and upcycled.

Guest UserFebruary 29, 2020currentComment

Forming Spirals

They kept arriving, barefoot, sandaled, from young children to elders, dark skinned, light, experienced crafters or those just beginning, with excitement or a look of trepidation in their gazes. Whatever apparent “differences,” they gathered with a common curiosity: to create something so ancient and for a long time indispensable, as well as far reaching across cultural divides: baskets.

Guest UserAugust 17, 2019currentComment

Hand Over Hand

So there I was, excitedly inviting each person to explore what their hands can do, black, white, brown, tiny or long fingered and wide palmed, but hands like mine that are unfamiliar with their own capacity to transform ordinary materials into the extraordinary through movement and the exploration of simple skills. I watched one cautious face after the other also light up with surprise, then soften with laughter, trust ignited by gentle, repetitive gestures of twisting cord between fingers, of a shared experience, and cooperation.