In addition to the popular storyteller dolls that we talked about in our Telling Stories post, several other art forms are also based on stories. Interestingly, the ones that come to mind are all textiles (don’t know why that is…)

"Tar Beach" by Faith Ringgold

The African-American artist, Faith Ringgold gained fame for her story quilts with scenes from her childhood in Harlem.

Hmong Flower Cloth (left) and Story Cloth (right)

The Hmong people from Laos began making “story cloth” while waiting in refugee camps in Thailand for resettlement. Their first story cloths often detailed harrowing experiences crossing the Mekong River to escape the Khmer Rouge. Now, Hmong story cloths usually portray more peaceful, rural scenes.

Peruvian Arpillera

Similarly, although arpilleras are now most often made in Peru with more tranquil mountain scenes, they originated in Chile during the time of Pinochet, as a way for women to express their grief and tell the stories of missing family members, the desaparecidos. All of these warrant further exploration at some point (I’m adding them to the list…) But they also got me wondering, what is the “story quilt” of my culture? And then it hit me, the T-shirt quilt of course! Commemorative T-shirts are very popular—and in some cases—have served as the canvas for some pretty good art. But at a certain point, you start to accumulate more than you can wear. And yet, they have such sentimental value you can’t bear to part with them. Besides, is there anything more comfortable than a well-worn T-shirt? Enter the T-shirt quilt! [Read more...]