Shaker Hair Wreath c. 1938

Helen Bronson made this Shaker Hair Wreath, and honestly, when I look at this, I see a drawing with the faintest wash, the kind that almost isn’t there. I imagine Helen, you know, patiently looping and knotting strands of human hair. Each little plait is a testament to time and devotion, right? It makes you wonder about the stories tangled in these tresses. Like, who did this hair belong to? What were they thinking as they gave it away? The dark ribbons feel like anchors, or maybe crossroads—places where the past meets the present. This piece just speaks to the quiet, meticulous labor that defines so much of women’s art. It reminds me of the obsessive mark-making you see in Agnes Martin’s grids, or maybe the way Yayoi Kusama covers everything in polka dots. There’s a similar drive to fill space, to make something out of nothing. And hey, artists, we’re all just riffing on each other's ideas, right? That's how creativity happens.