Excerpt of letter to Ami Simms, curator of the 52 nationally travelling quilt show we are hosting this weekend at Harford Tech.
Here are photos I shot today at the close of the show--before I talked to you about trying to get an action shot with the pinning happening. It seemed to be a spontaneous, sweet gesture of true emotion and honoring the memory of these loved ones. I was fascinated by which quilts were pinned--it wasn't every one--and of note, it was only on the interior ones, the last 27-52 ones, which are more enclosed. The bench in the center and alcove feeling was safe-feeling, secure, not exposed to rest of show, more private perhaps? Or maybe after seeing rest of quilts emotion had built up.
I am planning on gathering the left-behind tokens and making a little quilt with them and sending to you....soon.
There were several people who would read one quilt, go away, and then come back to see the next one. They told me they needed to rest their heart. Get control of their emotions.
As people approached the table I would ask them if they had a family member or loved one with Alzheimer's. This is what the 2x6 purple patch pinning invitation said:
To Honor & Remember
Think of a loved one with Alzheimer's or a related dementia.
Write their name on a Purple Patch.
Wear it to honor and remember the 24 million families coping with Alzheimer's.
I laminated it and will take to Delaware to see if they want to use it at their show. It was a good way for us to reach out to viewers, find out tidbits of their stories. I am intrigued by the need to share, to tell why they are there, who they know with it. It was like a reception that way, and the TACTILE is a big deal. Something to touch--they are allowed to touch that fabric (not the quilts!) and I think it really helps them.
I am not explaining this as well as I wish I could, but it really impressed me, affected ME. As a way to reach out to viewers, share with them. Give and take. I was enriched spiritually and emotionally today, crying with them. There were a couple of ladies that came out sobbing and all I could do was give them a big hug and hold on and listen when they were ready to talk. I know you warned us, but wow, it was very intense. And the patches helped.
6 comments:
Being there, helping you set up last night and this morning, I could feel those emotions. The love, the heartache, the loss, the mourning. The only other place I have felt that kind of unifying humanity of joined sorrow was at Arlington Cemetery. What an amazing show, I am so happy for you and how well it turned out, that our family got to be a little party of this great thing you did!
I would love to see the quilts! Is there a website or somewhere we can see pictures? It is hard to know how to comfort people, to mourn with those who mourn. It sounds like you did a good job.
I would have loved to see the show. My grandmother had alzheimer symptoms at the end of her life. They're not sure if it was because of the medication she was taking or what. But it's a different kind of thing to deal with and would be nice to have lots of support like that.
Alzheimer's is such a terrible, scary disease. The husband of my visiting teaching companion continues to loose connection with who he was and I see the heartache it is for her. But there is much love.
Go look at http://www.alzquilts.org/
to see more information about the show. It does have quilts there in slideshow--but not the artist's statements, that I can see...I'll let you read my book I bought ($20)next time we are face to face.
Thanks for the website. It is hard to really see the quilts there. It's good you bought the book. Quilting can be an interesting and beautiful form of expression and communication.
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