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Reversed Start Target

Claire Cowie

Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center

A “paperquilt” pays homage to the women who carry Southern craft tradition.

Framed abstract artwork featuring colorful, triangular shapes arranged in concentric circles with a patchwork of textures, paint splashes, and layered materials on an off-white background.
Claire Cowie. Reversed Star Target, 2017. Collage with acrylic. Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

Throughout her childhood in rural North Carolina, Claire Cowie was immersed in craft tradition, and quilting was an important part of her community. Her paper quilts, like Reversed Start Target, pay homage to the women of the South, to whom she says she owes much of her interest in community, storytelling, and making things by hand.

“Often made of a mix of ordinary and special materials, quilts become a way to preserve memories and recycle cloth at the same time,” Cowie says. She uses this practice as a guide to construct her autobiographical “paperquilts” out of layered paper scraps, collaging them with printing processes, digital photography, drawing, painting, and found media.

About the Artist

Based in Seattle, Cowie makes multimedia prints, paintings, and sculptures that address ambiguities in perception, shifting landscapes, and the fragmentation of memory. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Pacific Northwest and is included in the collections of the Henry Art Gallery, Tacoma Art Museum, Microsoft, Facebook, and others.

Claire Cowie. Reversed Star Target, 2017. Collage with acrylic. Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com
 
 

About the Location

Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center

4Culture believes in juvenile justice reform that results in zero youth detention. We also believe artists can lead the way in enacting this change, as culture-bearers, storytellers, and community-builders. Every single artist involved with the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center project has demonstrated a commitment to uplifting young people. Likewise, all…

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