Saint's Shirt c. 1965

Curator: Tell me about this piece; what strikes you? Editor: This is "Saint's Shirt," a textile piece created around 1965. It's made of cotton and appears to be woven or embroidered. What immediately stands out to me is how bold and graphic it is, with its repetitive stripes. It gives me a feeling of… almost ritualistic simplicity? What's your take on it? Curator: That's interesting. I see the boldness you mention, but I’m drawn to the historical and social implications of a garment titled "Saint's Shirt". The concept of sainthood is loaded, particularly when we consider power structures and how certain behaviors or identities have historically been elevated while others were suppressed. Does this "shirt" represent a sort of uniform? If so, what kind of "saint" is being represented here? What systems might the saint perpetuate or resist? Editor: That's fascinating! I didn't even think about the loaded meaning of "saint." Now I’m seeing the shirt in a new light. Does the domestic craft, the labor involved, complicate that reading for you? Does the textile medium, traditionally gendered, inform the reading of "sainthood?" Curator: Absolutely. The domestic craft aspect and the textile medium complicate the concept of saintliness. Often, labor performed by women has been devalued or ignored, even as it upholds social structures. The repeated action of embroidery could also function as a form of prayer. We also can't ignore the textile itself – its origins, how it has been constructed and by whom, and in what context. Does this undermine the idea of the “saint” or create one? It almost suggests the unseen, often women, who work to create that iconographic “saint”. Editor: Wow, I never considered it that way. It makes me rethink the relationship between art, labor, and power. I was caught up in the design, and now it has this entire other dimension. Thank you. Curator: Exactly! Considering the multiple histories that layer and sometimes intersect with the visual form enriches the artwork's experience and meaning.