She Knows!
Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller
Susanne M Jones
Potomac Falls, Virginia, USA
Artist Statement
I have been an admirer of these two women since I saw The Miracle Worker when I was 9-years-old. My piece was created with great love to honor these two miraculous ladies. The centerpiece water pump was raw-edge appliquéd. The organza water flows freely over Helen’s outstretched hand with acrylic beads of water splashing over the edge. In the upper corner, an appliquéd hand puts her fingers on jawline, nose, and lips in the Tadoma pose used to teach deafblind people to speak. Sign language hands spell out TEACHER, in honor of Anne and WATER, the word which opened a world of knowledge for Helen. HELEN is written in Braille made out of micro buttons. The background is stamped with a wood block and fabric paint. It was quilted on a domestic machine. Helen Keller’s signature is recreated in the quilting.
Woman’s Groundbreaking Accomplishment
Anne Sullivan opened the world of knowledge to Helen who was blind, deaf and mute. Helen Keller was the first deaf/blind person to earn a Bachelor degree.
Techniques
pieced, raw-edge appliquéd, machine embroidery, hand embroidery, embellished with buttons and clear acrylic fillers, machine quilted, wood block print
Materials
commercial cotton, batik, wood block, textile paint, micro buttons, embroidery floss, polyester, clear acrylic fillers