Alia Ali

In a project that highlights the global interaction of people through fabrics, Alia Ali  challenges current hard right political movements with a photographic exploration of how we are of one earth and that the fabrics which clothe our bodies are international and multicultural, a reflection of us, our stories, culture and environment.

"The People of Pattern Project highlights fabric and textile as a product of our earth, a manifestation of our imagination, a reflection of our environment and an archive of our stories. This project delves into a variety of cultures around the world and discovers them through their unique cultures, physical environments, artisans, textiles and the processes of making them."Alia Ali

Kathryn Harmer

'Falling into flight' in various fabrics, thread by multimedia artist Kathryn Harmer

Gina Adams

Gina Adams has created a simply stunning portfolio of  'Broken Treaty Quilts', highlighting the deception and violence used to marginalize Native Americans in the formation of the US. These are powerful textile testaments of lies and treachery.

"I am fascinated by stories passed down, both from my own familiar heritage and those told by others. I believe that the passing down of memories what keeps our genetic heritage alive. I am interested in and seek out others who have a similar story to tell and I immerse myself in their shadows. I do so in order to tell my story more clearly, and doing so also helps to clarify what I want the work to say visually. There is a connection to what the ancient ones taught my ancestors, as this information was passed down generation to generation. I consider my work and its process to be a spiritual endeavor, and the process of making to be a ritual component . I decided to learn how to make objects in order to have a better understanding of who my ancestors were and how perhaps I am similar to them. The process of making gives me an identity and an ancestral connection. In this I feel that I have been creating work that recontextualizes the sense of the sacred and the ritual object. In storytelling I am moved by a sense of discovery and connection, and much of it is also deeply connected and rooted in place and land. My life's journey is about where the land, peoples, and stories come together. It is my wish that the viewer will bring their own experience when viewing my work. Thank you for taking the time for your own discovery as it brings meaning to the day." Gina Adams 

Above: Treaty of the Six Nations, Broken Treaty Quilt
Below: The Osage Treaty 1809 Broken Treaty Quilt

Below: Treaty of Middlebury Plantation 1677 Broken Treaty Quilt 

Below: The Royal Proclamation of Canada Broken Treaty Quilt