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Memories was created from with cotton threads hand dyed by the artist, who used a strip loom to weave individual pieces approximately seven inches wide. The artist sewed five pieces of cloth together horizontally along their selvedges to complete the work. The defined edges of color were made by alternating the colored wefts and by using discontinuous warps. This technique, also called scaffolding, is only possible in handweaving and was practiced by the Wari and other ancient Andean cultures. The ombre effect in the many of the larger fields of color was created by using variegated cotton threads.
According to the artist, “Memories was made as a tribute piece for my paternal grandmother, Margaret Roberts who died in 1934. Margaret died when my father was 5 years old, she left her husband and four children. Following her death her name was never spoken again and no pictures of her survived. Her death was very hard for my father and this piece was made to honor her spirit. I interviewed everyone who was still alive in 1991. It was about her memory.” (Karen Hampton to J. Swope, email, 6.26.23)
Thumbnail-size images of copyrighted artworks are displayed under fair use, in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, published by the College Art Association in February 2015.
Memories
Karen Hampton (American, born in 1958)
American
1990
Medium/Technique
Hand-dyed cotton double cloth, strip woven and sewn
Dimensions
Height x length: 90.2 × 76.8 cm (35 1/2 × 30 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds donated by Suzanne Werber Dworsky
Accession Number2023.627
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsTextiles
Memories was created from with cotton threads hand dyed by the artist, who used a strip loom to weave individual pieces approximately seven inches wide. The artist sewed five pieces of cloth together horizontally along their selvedges to complete the work. The defined edges of color were made by alternating the colored wefts and by using discontinuous warps. This technique, also called scaffolding, is only possible in handweaving and was practiced by the Wari and other ancient Andean cultures. The ombre effect in the many of the larger fields of color was created by using variegated cotton threads.
According to the artist, “Memories was made as a tribute piece for my paternal grandmother, Margaret Roberts who died in 1934. Margaret died when my father was 5 years old, she left her husband and four children. Following her death her name was never spoken again and no pictures of her survived. Her death was very hard for my father and this piece was made to honor her spirit. I interviewed everyone who was still alive in 1991. It was about her memory.” (Karen Hampton to J. Swope, email, 6.26.23)
DescriptionStrip woven lengths of double cloth hand-woven from hand-dyed varigated threads in a range of colors including blue, black, brown blue, yellow, red and orange. The five lengths that were turned horizontally and sewn together along their selvedges.
Provenance2023, sold by the artist to the MFA. (Accession date: October 11, 2023)