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Posey Krakowsky

The Madonna Enthroned

Quilt

Artist Statement: The process of "seeing" -- of appreciation -- of purposeful attention without the attempt to incorporate -- constitutes a radical act of love. This quilt was made in the context of a dialogue with a fellow artist, Lobi Redhawk, whose digital image LOVE AND THE POWER OF WITNESS, appears repeatedly in the quilt. This work proposes that such acts of intentional seeing are a form of extraordinarily powerful dialogue with "the other" -- a way in to relationship that purposefully suspends judgment and even verbal definition in order to resist appropriation. This love reveals the other to the seer, and transforms her in the process. In return, those who are seen are also transformed, for by being truly seen, they are valued as individuals. When we speak of seeing Christ in all persons, we are following allowing that loving impulse to be our guide. The loving gaze can see and discover “the other” without fear, recognizing that "the other" is of God, just as we are.

Bio: I believe I have been a fiber artist since before I can remember. As a young child, I would frequently pluck the fur from my beloved stuffed animals just to relish the sensation of twisting the strands between my fingers. As I got older, my great aunt taught me to quilt - a traditional skill that retained an important place in southern culture even before the Bicentennial inspired the national quilt revival in the 1970's. I began my first quilt in 4th grade, and I did not finish it until college. Along the way, I learned dressmaking, knitting and weaving. I made the majority of my clothes in high school and college - many of them based on patterns and styles from other times in history and other cultures. When I left school for the working world, I gravitated back to quilting as a means of self-expression. Since then, it has remained the dominant medium of my art.

Though I was thoroughly trained as a traditional quilter, I rapidly moved beyond those parameters. My work does not have a distinctive style, because each quilt presents new challenges that force me to learn or adapt different techniques. Some pieces are highly inprovisational, changing radically from conception to execution. Others adhere to more traditional rules. Some are completely hand made; others combine machine and hand techniques. Over the years, I have incorporated calligraphy, painting, beading and natural elements in my work to provide additional texture, dimension and depth.

As a student at Union and at the General Theological Seminary, I pondered the theological significance of my work, and began to give voice to why it has been so important to me over my lifetime. My work speaks to that ongoing internal discussion. I continue to do so now, as a priest in the Diocese of New York.