Katie Prock | A Thread in the Hollow

Katie Prock | A Thread in the Hollow
Solo Exhibition
On view February 18 to March 17, 2023
The women in my family have been connected with needle and thread for generations. Sewing, specifically quilting, was both education and socialization for me while growing up within a Mennonite community. As a teenager I left the faith tradition of my family and it felt necessary for me to leave behind the entire culture. My quilts went into the closet, and I piled books on top of my sewing box. I struggled between the guilt and fear of turning away from a system that had shaped every aspect of my life, and the dizzying freedom of choice I faced as an unmoored almost adult. I wasn’t who I had been but had no idea who I wanted to be. In my fractured state, I turned to photography and creative writing as my mirror, it became the way I see myself.
After almost fifteen years of hiding from my heritage, I have begun to understand that in addition to painful memories, the culture from which I came gave me many beautiful ones as well. Expressing these twin truths has become a vital part of my creative practice. The quilts I made with my mother and grandmothers are beautiful, practical, and immaculately crafted. Now I piece together images, poetic prose, and disparate materials to create hand stitched pieces that allow me to look honestly at the pain I carry and to keep close the parts of myself and my culture I can’t bear to lose.
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