 Me, Myself and I: Handmade Quilts
Dawn Williams Boyd and the Colfax Community Network
PlatteForum
May 22 - June 13, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 22, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
(from the press release:)
Denver, CO—May 7, 2008 — Creative Resident Dawn Williams Boyd has created a magnificent quilt during her intense six-week residency. Titled “Quilting with Ms. Dawn,” the six by eight foot hand-sewn quilt is comprised of a central figure, the artist, surrounded by the twelve children she worked with during her residency. Where her previous figurative quilt series “The Things Kids Do” represent children in a variety of situations, the figures in “Quilting with Ms. Dawn” are portraits of the actual children she worked with during the residency, capturing both their inner dreams as well as their exterior personalities. The result is stunning: hand appliquéd, quilted, embroidered and embellished by hand.
Ms. Boyd’s quilt is surrounded in the gallery by twelve colorful quilts made by kids from Colfax Community Network. Each youth quilt is a self-portrait, four by four feet, and entirely hand sewn, appliquéd, quilted and embroidered and embellished by hand. With Ms. Boyd in the lead, Mandie Birchem from Colfax Community Network guided the children during the 19 workshops. This could not have been possible without the support of dozens of adult volunteers, some of whom might also include their portrait quilts in the exhibition. The kids are seven to twelve years old and full of energy. A field trip to see Gee’s Bend, The Architecture of the Quilt at DAM kicked off the residency. DAM Master Teacher Heather Nielsen took the youth through the exhibition sharing stories about the women and their history. Ms. Boyd built upon this history during the workshops as the kids created their own work, expressing their unique place in history. In June the youth will meet some of the Gee’s Bend quilt-makers during their visit to see the exhibition at DAM.
About the Artist: Dawn Williams Boyd has done extensive work in the Denver community working with the Denver Black Arts Festival and the Sankofa Arts Alliance. She is currently a Director at ULOZI, a collective of African American visual artists. She has given multiple lectures about her art to students of all ages at Metro State University, Sankofa Arts Collective’s Back Door Studios, Ricks School at the University of Denver, the University of Colorado (Boulder), and Regis University. Dawn has had numerous exhibitions for her work (over 20 shows of note), both solo exhibitions and group exhibitions. In 2006, Williams Boyd was selected to be a part of The Best of Colorado Exhibit showcasing distinguished Colorado artists.
After a high school art class changed Dawn’s life, she pursued a Bachelor of Fine arts from Stephens College. According to Dawn, “Art is essential to the well being of the human animal. Without it we are in danger of raising future leaders with no imaginations, no experience in looking at a situation from another perspective, no ability to see the beauty in themselves and their world and no outlets for aggression, frustration and boredom.” http://www.platteforum.org/residency_boyd.htm
About Colfax Community Network:
The overall mission of CCN is to advocate for and work on behalf of children and families residing in low-income, transient housing (primarily residential motels) along Colfax Avenue. By providing information, services and programs they strengthen and improve family and community life. Many families in metropolitan Denver resort to motel living as a temporary solution to homelessness. While motels do provide immediate shelter, the high cost of motel rent and the inability to secure the necessary funds for permanent housing often hold families in the "motel trap." Overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate kitchen facilities, and lack of safety create tremendous stress for these families. Children, especially, suffer in this environment, dramatically increasing their chances for poor health, low self-esteem, school failure, gang involvement and violent victimization. Motel residents who are concerned with the safety of their children generally have no choice but to confine their kids to their motel rooms or in the motel parking lots in the hours after school. Less fortunate children are left to fend for themselves.
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