Homage to Lucy Burns

Patricia Malarcher  

53 x 54.75 inches

2019

ARTIST STATEMENT

I chose Lucy Burns as my subject to represent the hardships women endured while fighting for the 19th Amendment. Many suffragists were arrested for protesting in public places and sent to jail, where they were often treated like hardened criminals. Lucy Burns spent more time in jail than any other suffragist; she even spent one night handcuffed to an overhead bar in her cell. In my quilt, I took advantage of the visual correspondence of silver Mylar strips and prison bars as well as the sense of grimness suggested by black, brown, and white discharged fabric.

Photo by Peter Jacobs