Field of Hope: Lady Bird Johnson
Sarah Entsminger
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
Artist Statement
A life long love of nature drew me to Lady Bird Johnson’s story. Claudia Alta Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson served as First Lady during the time her husband, Lyndon Baines Johnson, was the 36th President of the United States. She left an enduring legacy of environmentalism that continues to grace our land today. Hope for the future, solace for today and a reverence for the past inspired her work across the country.
I found that many of Lady Bird’s statements about why she concentrated her work on environmental issues echoed my own thoughts. In particular, “My heart found its home long ago in the beauty, mystery, order and disorder of the flowering earth” and the quote I quilted into the sky over a meadow much like one of hers in Texas, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”
Woman’s Groundbreaking Accomplishment
Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson, First Lady 1963 – 1969, left an enduring environmental legacy through the Highway Beautification Act and National Wildflower Research Center.
Techniques
Machine piecing, machine applique, beading and machine quilting.
Materials
Commercial cotton fabric, hand-dyed fabric, various threads, color pencil, beads