THE SKY WE BUILT
2021

Polyester, cotton thread, embroidery hoop, needles, people power.
20’ diameter

This work was created for the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art A Common Thread Exhibition that showcases the radical possibilities of traditional forms and skill-sharing, utilising a large play parachute as a canvas. During museum and workshop hours, participants were invited to contribute personal designs, learn embroidery fundamentals, and play with the piece.

“In the United States, textile work was originally a woman’s work during the mid 19th century and 20th century and in many places it still is,” says curator Ashanti McGee. “For women of color, it was particularly a common job. My own grandmother left segregated South Carolina and, despite several misfortunes, made a living—first through sewing and creating clothing like most, and eventually becoming a master embroiderer for the Lutheran Churches of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My mother embroidered by hand, and taught myself and my daughter to sew.”