Women in Art / Printed Afghan
(2008)
was a collaborative work produced by the students in the Women in Art class – an APSU 2008 Spring Semester course offering. This interdisciplinary class, taught by professors Jill Eichhorn and Cynthia Marsh, focused on the study of literary and visual art produced by women from a variety of cultural, geographic, ethnic and historic backgrounds. Students were required to create works of art inspired by some of the historic and cultural periods studied. After a discussion concerning the domestic arts produced by women during the American Revolution, class member were taught to knit. The assignment was to knit an 8x8 inch square using recycled fibers or materials. Some students refused to do the assignment: they felt the requirement (learning to knit etc.) supported ongoing subjugation and exploitation of women. These students were asked to write and print statements in protest of knitting. The completed squares and protest statements were combined into a freeform quilt or afghan.
