ARTIST STATEMENT
American Childhood is the term I use for this series of quilts which start with Mid Century baby blankets and quilts collected on the internet or in antique stores. I’m looking at several things here and one is the huge contrast between the cute and sweet images we surround infants with and the violent images we are surrounded with as adults. Many of the images depicted in vintage baby quilts show an idealized picture of childhood that was completely unattainable for many. Many show a cute and fuzzy world of baby animals that can insulate us from the from the harsher realities of the wild. Some tourists have learned the hard way that those are not teddy bears out there.
The message in these quilts depends on contrast, such as the play between cute little teddy bears with a real bear, nursery rhymes and nuclear bombs, or clowns and toy soldiers. I feel that this contrast allows us to see the dangers and contradictions in modern life in a new way. I ponder how the icons and images we surround children with has helped to define who we are, or how we are expected to move through adulthood. I do not have answers but am inviting viewers to take a fresh look at the imagery we surround children with and what part it plays in our adult identity.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Laurel Izard is an award-winning artist who exhibits her artwork throughout the United States. She currently lives and makes art full time near the southern shore of Lake Michigan in Michigan City, Indiana with her artist husband Edwin Shelton and three cats. As soon as she could hold a needle, she started sewing but didn’t begin creating textile art until 2010. She received a BA from Northern Illinois University, with majors in art and anthropology, and an MFA in ceramics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
After college Izard and her husband started a ceramic business called Izwin, and together they produced and wholesaled colorful whimsical tabletop wares to galleries, boutiques, and department stores throughout the country. After years of self-employment, Izard taught art in numerous after-school and summer programs and finally at Marquette Catholic High School. Currently she teaches textile art workshops focusing on embroidery and art quilts. Her philosophy as an artist and teacher is that an integral part of being human is to be creative; she continues to teach others how to discover their inner artistic resources.
© Laurel Izard