Knitted Together is a personal project that I began this year. This is Part VI: Sisters.
I met sisters Nakiya and Taejah when they came to my studio to be photographed for Protest Portraits in 2020. They stand for family, community, anti-racism, and equal rights. I admire them very much.
Special thanks to Sarah Daniels-Campbell for help with this knitted garment.
My work is about celebrating the magic of the human experience. I am interested in the connections between the subject and viewer. Through my work, I ask the viewer for empathy toward the subjects.
Knitted Together is a collection of individual digital portrait photographs of people knitting or crocheting different red garments. Each portrait is printed on canvas and framed. In each portrait, the red yarn goes out of the frame at the bottom, to be displayed as a 3-dimensional work with a single strand of yarn coming from the bottom of the piece, connecting visually to the strand in the photograph. Each piece of yarn leads to a single large ball of yarn on the floor of the display.
Some red garments are at their beginning or short, some will be near the end or long. One wraps around a person’s neck. One is held in front of her body and is riddled with holes. These portraits each give the viewer an insight to an important element of a person’s life, hinting at subjects from birthing to caregiving, to sexuality, health, or how they live their lives – muted or bright, perhaps guarded or on display.
This is a body of work that is meant to grow, with new portraits added periodically. This work is about individuals, humanity, and the idea that we are all connected. Our lives are different, we approach life differently, but exist on earth together.
Part of this project will be included in an exhibit called “Seen and Heard” at The Art Center, 1 Washington St, Suite 1177, Dover, NH, September 8 – October 31, 2023. Everyone is invited to the artists reception on Saturday, October 7, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
You can see more from Knitted Together HERE.