2020 Tish

A quilted wall hanging representing 2020. In the center is a self portrait of a white woman with long gray hair, wearing a gold necklace and blue shirt. She is in a red circle with "2020" beaded in red above her. Coming out of the circle, in a starburst shape, are twelve different colored panels representing each month of the year. The quilt is color coded with colors representing highlights of the year and gray representing missed experiences. The corresponding experience for the months of the year are as follows: The golden gate bridge, Tampa, sandhill cranes gathering in Nebraska, missed celebrations gone virtual, missed performance at Kalamazoo international medieval conference, making a quilt and 40 masks, missed conference with sisters, missed visit to San Francisco, teaching through zoom, pumpkin picking but no trick-or-treating, turkey with no guests, and no christmas pageant. Quilted, black glasses are overlaid over each panel to represent seeing the world differently.

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In Collections: Creativity in the Time of COVID-19

Copyright Status: In Copyright

Date: 2019/2022

Artists: Lehman, Patricia

Subjects: COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- , in art

Material Type: Mixed media works
Textile art (visual works)

Language: No linguistic content

Extent: 1 quilt

Genre Note: Mixed media quilt

Exhibit Label: When the pandemic hit, I found myself spending more time alone in my home than ever before. As someone who has always enjoyed creating art, I turned to my craft as a source of comfort and expression during these uncertain times. However, I wasn't alone in my artistic pursuits. My family, scattered across the country, decided to issue a challenge: we would all create a work of art on the theme of 2020, to be 20" x 20" and in any medium we chose. Each piece was individual and revealing, with several family members choosing to ignore the rules entirely. My own piece, perhaps influenced by my recent widowhood, focused on personal gains and losses. Despite the challenges of 2020, this artistic challenge brought my family closer together, even as we were physically apart. It reminded me of the power of creativity to connect and heal, even in the midst of a global pandemic. --Label design by exhibit curator Nancy DeJoy. Labels written by Ben Lash and his team in consultation with artist statements.

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