BFA Illustration Capstone

Faculty Mentor: Bill Carman

3.5’ x 4.5’, found fibers including, wool, wood, polyester, cotton, alpaca, and acrylic, 2024

 

There is an amount of give and pull this woven structure can withstand. It has been built up gradually, one row on top of the next with many layers. While secure right now, it is yarn after all that can be undone and shifted and pulled apart. The artform of tapestry making, or weaving, is an excellent metaphor for the culmination of our identities, and how we ourselves and external influences slowly build it up, or down. Humans are extremely resilient beings as we withstand so much through our lifetimes and are adaptable, but the human form and our identities have a level of fragility to them as well. Weaving reminds me of how our bodies are physically made up in structure - many small threads for a larger function. While making this piece, I went in several times to unweave sections where it wasn’t working. Circumstances in life, our introspection, and the actions we take have the power to change us by unraveling our beliefs and identities to form something new. While I welcome change and we cannot grow without it, some change is detrimental - painful. I grow stronger through challenges of the unknown, chronic pain, debilitating health and dysfunctional family, but I often wonder how much more I can endure before being pulled apart.