Where Yesteryears are Buried

Where Yesteryears are Buried was a 2019 exhibition at IFELL in Bloomington, IN. The work explored family history and memory through an archive of my great-grandmother Lucile’s belongings.

In November 2018, my my great grandmother was moved into a care home at the age of 98 at her request when she realized that she had developed dementia. When she moved, our family had to complete the task of going through all the things she no longer needed, wanted, or could remember the importance of.

In sorting some of her belongings, I learned more of her personal history, our family history, and found affinities with her that I didn’t know existed – a love of delicate things, an irreverent sense of humor, and the tenacity to repair and mend beloved mementos.

Because I considered the work to be a collaboration, I also showed handmade quilts that she had created throughout the years, hung as tapestries. Although I no longer have documentation of the quilts installed in the space, the cotton pattern pieces were worn thin from use – tender touch made heavy with time and repetition.

Lucile passed away in 2024 at the age of 104.