This exhibit chronicles the artist's search as an adoptee to reconcile her past amidst the shame and secrecy surrounding her birth mother’s pregnancy. While this exhibit is based on her story, it parallels the experiences of hundreds of thousands of other adoptees around the world.
=0D=0A=The Adoption Council of Canada writes that “approximately 1 in 5 Canadians are touched by adoption. They are either adopted themselves, have an adopted sibling or family member, are adoptive parents, birth parents or birth relatives. Today, that means almost 7 million Canadians are affected by adoption, and yet adoption remains one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized social phenomenon’s in our country.” Struggles with loss and identity are as real to adoptees today as they were in the mid-1900's.
=0D=0A=Through the medium of embroidery and textiles, this work explores relationships and experiences - both real and imagined - with the artist's birth family, adoptive family and with her own identity.
=0D=0A=At a foundational level, these pieces represent the fragile healing of a shattered bond between birth mother and adoptee. The detailed nature of embroidery serves to highlight the complexity of relationships and experiences of adoptees while the tactile hand of the cloth softens the harsh options presented to unwed mothers of a bygone era, options fueled by strongly held societal and religious beliefs. The story is narrated through quotes adorned to girl’s dresses which serve to introduce the characters in the story as well as provide a timeline of past events.
=0D=0A=This collection as a whole provides a moving perspective to life transformed by adoption and privacy legislation. From a personal standpoint, this body of work defines who the artist is in this world while also helping her accept, without judgement, the path that brought her here.
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