Many of these storycloths reflect the same themes as Esther’s art, a telling of the pain and longing of people who leave behind family and country — and of challenges in finding acceptance in a new place. Others mirror Esther’s resiliency, their pictures speaking poignantly to the hopes and aspirations of people seeking a new and better life as Americans and the strengths exhibited by heroes.
As Ingrid’s storycloth (above) relates: “After 3 years coming here to US, I became a preschool teacher. I am so proud of that. One day one of my coworkers told me that I was stealing somebody else’s job. ‘Here in America, we need people like you only to pick up lettuces or tomatoes.’”
Stitching Our Stories – Santa Fe
Over the summer of 2016, Art and Remembrance hosted a series of storycloth workshops in Santa Fe with adult and youth immigrants who are served by various local organizations and faith groups, including Santa Fe Community College, Mujeres Adelante Cooperative, and Nuestra Jornada at Gerard’s House. During the workshops, the participants viewed the documentary film, Through The Eye of the Needle: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz, engaged in group conversation and made their own story cloths.
Hero Project Gallery
The Hero Project was a two-part fine art and language arts project undertaken in 2009 by 5th Grade students at Hunter College Elementary School in conjunction with Art and Remembrance. The students wrote and illustrated a story about a family member who had displayed hero qualities.
Hilos de la Vida Gallery
These story quilts by immigrant women were created by a mostly Latina cooperative quilt group – Los hilos de la vida (The Threads of Life) – who were participating in a adult English literacy program in the Anderson Valley of Northern California.These pictorial quilts depict scenes of family life, border crossings, life in Mexico, dreams, and reverence for the natural and spiritual worlds.
