​
Jo-Ann Morgan at Cornerstone Church, Heritage Hill, Grand Rapids, MI during ArtPrize.
​
Jo-Ann Morgan Fiber Art
Artist’s Statement
I began sewing during the pandemic. Quilting and applique’ techniques seemed a perfect choice for making art that could offer comfort during trying times. I created a female figure as a focal point and named her Nuestra Dama de la Corona (Lady Corona). She was to be a comforting presence, not unlike a deity or favorite doll, to offer respite and hope within scenarios that brought attention to social inequality. She is represented wearing a crown, gloves, and mask. My earliest work included Lady Corona offering comfort to children at the US/ Mexico border, demonstrating in support of Black Lives Matter, paying tribute to people who had passed, and remembering victims of violence. As the work evolved, other figures have taken on a similar role.
The wall-mounted hangings are constructed in layered cotton fabric. Because quilted comforters are familiar and approachable, the medium is ideal for addressing provocative topics related to social justice and inequality. Despite the unsettling themes, these stitched fabric pictures offer a soothing counterpoint to the harsh events of contemporary reality. If there is a message running throughout this work is “seeking comfort in a fraught world.” Art can be a way to process events and experiences that are almost too much to bear.
I think of these quilted wall hangings as similar to the spontaneous memorials that communities erect after an untimely death. I first noticed this impulse after the death of Trayvon Martin when scores of people created portraits of the young man, and again after the death of Michael Brown when a tower of flowers and other items was raised in Ferguson at the spot where he was killed by police. Similarly, the deaths of Breonna Taylor and then George Floyd brought out widespread commemorations, expanding into a national movement we know as Black Lives Matter. In addition to artwork commemorating the lives of Taylor and Floyd, I have completed quilt memorials for Elijah McClain, Aurora, Colorado; Ronald Green, Monroe, Louisiana; and Ahmaud Arbery, Brunswick, Georgia, all of whom died as a result of an encounter with police, or, in the case of Arbery, a retired policeman and his son.
I next embarked on a series that brings attention to the mass shooting of nineteen children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in of Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022. These quilted memorials are individualized portraits, but they are also universal. They celebrate the short lives of the ten-year-old victims and their teachers. These fabric memorials are meant to evoke our collective outrage.
Another body of work pays tribute to women impacted by war and social conflicts. A triptych titled “News from the Front” (2024) showcases women of Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine. Wherever the battle lines, one thing they share is grieving women who’ve lost loved ones and whose lives are upended.
Artmaking is my form of activism. My artworks address the cruelty and folly of gun violence. There is no greater public health issue affecting children than gun violence. Guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States.
​
To contact Jo-Ann Morgan:
​
​​
(Below) Jo-Ann Morgan during Embracing Our Differences in Bayfront Park, Sarasota, FL