Re-ligament | Corem Deo Gallery | Omaha, NE | 2023

Exhibition Statement

Re-ligament is a meditation on the root word of religion, re-ligio, meaning to re-ligament or reconnect. A ligament is the fibrous tissue which connects cartilage and bone, allowing a body to move. Re-ligament is a series of large and small quilts utilizing techniques of traditional and improvisational patchwork, appliqué, and embroidery. Layered like drawings, they combine and explore the logic of stained-glass windows with quiet vignettes of domestic life—the shapes of windows, shadows cast onto walls, and light filtering through trees on neighborhood walks. All together they form a liturgy of the ordinary, finding the connectivity of the everyday imparting divine grace.

The quilts form an attempt to visually re-ligament, formally employing the motif of black, in outlines, shapes, and overlays meant to mimic the line work of the lead between pieces of stained glass. Toggling between organic shapes and repetitive geometry, they stretch the limits of traditional patchwork. The quilts reflect the exuberance of light, contemplations of the night, and the tenderness of stitches.