Students at Community High School came together with renowned Durham, NC artist Maya Freelon to create a true community art piece. The project was made by each of the students under Freelon’s guidance – a large quilt created by many squares of tissue paper, crumpled to create texture. The tissue paper first is dabbed with water to create bleeding colors reminiscent of watercolors, then each student glued several pieces together to create their unique quilt piece. Each student worked with their neighbors, and then their neighbor's neighbors, to join their pieces together, eventually creating sections at each table that were combined to create the huge, flowing quilt.
“The tissue paper is simple, overlooked, often discarded,” said Freelon. “Students may feel that way sometimes, like no one is listening or they don’t have any power. All of our differences, our wrinkles and so-called blemishes, the process is that when we join together there’s strength, diversity, power, unity, and beauty. The quilt is a metaphor for those feelings, for the strength and power of togetherness, for speaking up for somebody who might not be able to speak up for themselves. Like the quilt, these students have that support and can be that support.”
Getting the Smithsonian-featured artist to come to Community High was an amazing opportunity, said principal Cathy Haughney. It was made possible by the North Carolina Arts Council’s cARTSwheels grant. This year, the grant focused on building student’s resiliency through the arts.
Students plan to hang the quilt in the window of the cafeteria, where the natural light can shine through the many hues of the paper, reminding them of their individual strengths and the power of their community.