“Tired and True” is an attempt to reassert my agency in (re)shaping the world during a time of upheaval and anger.
Here I use embroidery as a means of everyday resistance—using what is to hand to make a statement. I also chose embroidery for its historical status as a low-art form, for it is both a craft and ‘women’s work’. Recontextualizing embroidery as a formal communication device problematizes the relationship between ornamentation and utility.
The style of chicken scratch embroidery was further chosen for its ties to mid-century Americana. These patterns were a popular way to bring individuality to gingham aprons from the 1930s–1950s, hence the alternate name for the style of Depression Lace. Even in this idealized version of femininity there is an implicit struggle. Rhythm, color and pattern evoke a feeling of structure breaking into chaos—nostalgia gone rotten.
Amidst this failure of order, the poem ‘Tired’ by Langston Hughes calls on artist and viewer to cast off the fatigue of despair and play active roles in creating a better world. We need not wait for someone else to fix our reality; we must identify what is working to eat us from the inside out for ourselves. Through community, another important theme of embroidery practice, and through courage, we can work together to shape a world that is ‘good, and beautiful, and kind’ for ourselves and each other.
“Tired” by Langston Hughes from The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes Copyright © 1994. Used by Permission of the Estate of Langston Hughes and International Literary Properties LLC.
