"Martha Graham": Quilt Art by Rebekka Seigel

"There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through another medium and will be lost."

Martha Graham is the subject of my fourth paper doll quilt because of her pioneering efforts in the world of dance. She literally invented a new form of dance. She and her costumes are superimposed on a painting in the style of Wassily Kandinsky who was a pioneer of the abstract expressionist movement in visual art. It is reported that when Martha saw Kandinsky’s paintings for the first time she felt an instant kinship because she felt he was trying to do with the visual arts what she was trying to do with movement.

All of the costumes are researched and depict those she created for some of her most famous dances. The beautiful names of many of the dances she set are in the border of this piece. Many of the fabrics in the background of this piece are hand dyed to recreate the feeling of a painting.