Wedding dress front c. 1975

This Wedding Dress Front was made by Suere, and now lives at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Just look at the red fabric and the way that it is overlaid with geometric patterns, each square a little universe of repeated shapes and mirrored surfaces. I can only imagine the amount of time it took to make this! To build the dress, stitch by stitch, bead by bead. The maker must have felt some pressure, the weight of tradition, the importance of this object to a young bride about to start a new life! You know, it puts me in mind of the quilts made by the women of Gee’s Bend. How the need to make something beautiful and useful combines with patience, dedication, and this incredible visual intelligence that elevates everyday objects into art. There's such optimism, such a hopeful and generous spirit, that shines through, isn’t it? And, of course, like the women of Gee's Bend, the hands that made this are part of a much wider conversation, a continuous exchange across time. And now the work is here to inspire us today.