SJMQT met textile artist Jen Graham while curating Guns: Loaded Conversations, where she exhibited two pieces of artwork. More recently, she has been using her front lawn as a gallery space, stitching tongue-in-cheek posters which reference political campaign yard signs. You can also check out her show, My Presidents, which was scheduled to be currently on view at SJMQT, but is now online.
What are materials and processes utilized in your body of work?
I make work out of fabric. I use a mixture of hand embroidery, machine sewn piecing and appliqué, and sometimes acrylic paint. I mostly make work that discusses current political and social issues, often reflecting on or referencing American History, as well. I’ve been thinking a lot about how fiber art has been used in protests and communication throughout history. With this in mind, I have recently focused on more text-based pieces, in the form of flags and banners.
What has surprised you about your art practice since the Shelter in Place order?
At first, I think most of us were anxious and scared. We didn’t understand how to react to this kind of national emergency. My work has always been my way of speaking up, and so I felt compelled to say something. I had recently taken down the “Warren for President” lawn sign I had up during the Democratic primary, and I had the idea to use the frame from that sign to create new lawn signs out of fabric with messages to the neighborhood. I put a sign out on my lawn almost every day, making a new one every week or so. I am a very private person, and the vulnerability of putting my work in front of my home like this was slightly unsettling and certainly unlike anything I’d done before. But I loved the idea of someone out for a walk coming across my lawn sign and being delighted, confused, or even comforted.
What do you do when you get "stuck" in your creative process? Where do you turn for inspiration?
I turn to history and all things Americana. I love to look at old photographs and graphic design (like WPA posters or political campaign buttons). The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/) is a wonderful source. I also love to read past speeches and slogans of protests or political campaigns. Usually I can find a jumping-off point for new work somewhere in our history.
What are you currently reading/ listening to?
I have been listening to many of my old favorites on repeat for the last few months. This includes Neutral Milk Hotel, Wolf Parade, The Weakerthans, and the Mountain Goats, to name a few. I’ve also been obsessed with the album, “Lover’s Rock” by The Dears. No other album has felt as relevant to the experience we are going through as this one has (at least to me). I’ve also been seeking out contemporary protest songs, though they don’t seem to be as prevalent as I would think, in these volatile times (or I’m just not finding them).
I’ve also been listening to plenty of podcasts. For politics, I love Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It. For design and general curiosity: 99% Invisible. For history: Throughline. For a laugh (or at least a smile): Judge John Hodgman.
What drew you to the fiber art medium over others?
My mom had always sewed, and she had given me this old, mint green, metal Singer sewing machine after I moved away from home. I had been working in film photography, but I wanted to move into a medium that was more tactile and, in a way, more grounded. I worked on learning how to use that beautiful Singer, and when I started to make sewn pieces, it really did make me feel more connected to my mom and to the history of women. I like joining in on that tradition and being a part of carrying it on.
What are you looking forward to doing again once Shelter in Place is over?
I am a homebody, so staying at home isn’t as difficult for me as it is for other, more social, people. But I love to travel, and that is what I miss the most. I usually go somewhere new once a year, and I frequently travel to visit my family. These trips are what I look forward to the most every year.
