Curators Statement

When asked to curate this exhibition my first through was, that's where I was born; my second thought was about my maternal grandmother, Rebecca Farley Stevens.

Women through the ages have made many sorts of marks. Whether you think of Catherine de Medici, Hattie Caraway, Emma Goldman, Isabel= Allende, Simone de Beauvoir, Sally Ride, Diane Fossey, Elisabeth Blackwell, Bessie Smith, Ann Lee, Mata Hari, Ida Lupino, Greta Garbo, Steffi Graf, Helen Keller, Margaret Mead or the thousands upon thousands of women less recognizable, the subject is one rich with all sorts of information and symbolism.

Most often the marks we recognize most easily are those close to us. We may choose to represent them in many ways. I think of my grandmother and I think of the cold attic and the rows of canned vegetables; very like the utility quilts she made. I remember her teaching me, I was quite small, how to stand on a wooden crate and eves drop on a twelve party telephone
line.

Whether we choose to work symbolically, abstractly, or representationally, we should strive to convey the impact and the passion of women, the world over through all time. So enjoy the challenge. Think about the mark you are making in this world.

This is what Thelma wrote about the exhibit space:I have received, by mail, this morning the complete floor plans and elevations of the Marie Webster House in Marion, Indiana. This stack of papers means that I understand the walk around space of the Quilters' Hall of Fame. It also means that I have full drawings of each wall. This information is invaluable in planning the most smashingly gorgeous exhibition for She Made Her Mark as any one can imagine. Thelma Smith

Deadline for submissions

Jan. 5, 2007