Homespun Bedspread 1935 - 1942

Curator: Initially, this composition feels calming, somehow nostalgic, with its repetitive patterning of cobalt blue. Editor: It’s quite a find, isn’t it? This is a drawing and collage on paper, dating from 1935 to 1942. The artist is Julie C. Brush, and the piece is called *Homespun Bedspread*. It captures the aesthetic of pattern and decoration, leaning into the symbolism of domestic crafts. Curator: Yes, “domestic” is a key aspect here, right? It brings to mind a simpler time, where creating a bedspread could have been almost a meditative practice. It feels deeply connected to a particular vision of the past. Do you find the geometric design to have some roots to architecture? It’s fascinating. Editor: It resonates, yes. Consider, this bedspread could have served not only a functional but a deeply personal purpose during times of hardship—the Great Depression and leading into World War II. These symbols can become quite politically loaded under dire economic or social times. There could even be elements tied into quilting, something historically bound up with community building, particularly for marginalized groups who sought strength through creation, identity and shared culture, but also resilience and activism. Curator: Exactly! Even something as simple as repeating the geometric pattern may echo themes of life cycles and communal continuity. Visually, this design also reflects broader design and aesthetic preferences. Even within limited resources, people find the creative drive to add meaning to their immediate world. The design, its components evoke ancient buildings for me. Editor: And for me it points towards empowerment and agency in uncertain circumstances. The act of choosing colors and shapes itself. Curator: A good point! Considering the period in which *Homespun Bedspread* was made, this design has more to tell than meets the eye. It evokes both the personal and the social within one symbolic field. Editor: And, by extension, suggests new modes of weaving these symbolic, patterned languages through modern issues and dialogues. This textile provides just as rich of symbolism to apply as historical objects and events.