Icons of Despair | Created by Maude Wallace Haeger from West Chester, OH.

Icons of Despair

Created by:

Maude Wallace Haeger from West Chester, OH

Exhibit:

Racism: In the Face of Hate We Resist

Artist Statement:

An icon can have religious significance, or it can be a symbol on a computer. An icon can describe a person closely linked to an idea; Mahatma Gandhi is revered as an icon of peace and humanity.

I grew up with religious paintings - so to me, icons are always visual reminders of saints who have given of themselves for the good of the world.

The people depicted in this quilt are icons. They represent those who have faced the challenges of marginalization. They are despairing; they are wondering if things will ever change.

It is my hope and prayer that those of us who have not been marginalized – due to racism or any other reason - will take a long hard look at ourselves, our beliefs, and the needs of others. We need to change to be kinder and gentler.

I found my political voice through making art quilts. This quilt, first shown in the exhibit You Are My Sister, curated by Carole Gary Staples in Cincinnati, Ohio, shows faces that express my contempt and utter frustration with what has been happening in our country. The faces portray the despair of those who have felt the effects of racism, bigotry, racial profiling, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and discrimination - ways that Carole used to describe the exhibit. It is my hope that my art quilt can reach viewers by portraying the impacts of targeting.

The response I’d like viewers to have - to connect with conscience and work toward change - was best expressed by a recent comment about this quilt: “Icons of Despair is so evocative, a remarkable visual reminder to Say Their Names regularly. Religiously and socially, the saints are also martyrs. They are witnessing some hard, awful truths about who we are as a people and a nation.”

2019
46" x 51½"
Cotton fabric and batt, gold lamé, nylon net; piecing, machine guided machine embroidered faces on nylon net; machine quilted.