We think it’s pretty obvious to our readers by now how important we think words are. They are the underpinning of our art, so when we moderated in a recent Textile Talk, which is sponsored by a consortium of fiber arts organizations, we weren’t surprised the topic arose again.
Deeds Not Words
The irony doesn’t escape us that the topic of the talk was the exhibition Deeds Not Words: Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage. Our piece honoring Katherine Dexter McCormick is part of the exhibition. You can read about how we made the piece here. You can watch the the Textile Talk by clicking on the link below.
Suffragist vs. Suffragette
It’s funny how an art exhibition could engender so much discussion about words. But, we think it’s because words matter. For this exhibition, the curators asked us early in the creative process to use the term “suffragist” instead of “suffragette.” “Suffragette” was used pejoratively back in the day, so the neutral term was a better choice.
The Exhibition
Regardless of whether or not you’re into words as much as the Pixeladies, we think you’ll like the exhibit. It brings to life women of great value and courage, many of whom remain on the fringes of our collective history. We wanted to invite you all to meet us at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, who hosted this particular Textile Talk. Sadly, the museum is still closed due to the pandemic. In the meantime, the museum has graciously added the exhibition as an online exhibition. You can keep track of where the exhibition can be seen live by visiting Sandra Sider’s website. As a teaser, take a look at our friend Martha Wolfe’s incredible contribution, Sara Bard Field: Suffrage Envoy. Sara was Martha’s grandmother’s first cousin! She and her driver and machinist drove across the US in 1915 collecting over a half million signatures in support of the Susan B Anthony Amendment. Read more about it on Martha’s website.
Words = Books
Of course the Textile Talk went from a talk about visual art to literature on the women’s movement. We’re so glad it did, because we learned of the novel The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Click here to read an NPR book review of Kidd’s novel that tells the story of Sarah and Angelina (Nina) Grimké, historical women at the forefront of the abolitionist and women’s rights movements. The story is told through the eyes of a young slave, Hetty, who is presented to Sarah on her birthday.
Please Vote!
This exhibition and the novel are stark reminders of how precious our right to vote is and how fragile our democracy is, if we do not exercise this right. So, please, do our country (and yours, wherever you may live) a favor and exercise this most sacred right.