Processional, 1977
Silk, copper, linen, wool, raffia, leather, found objects
Height variable x 180  x 12 inches
Collection of the artist

These five empty garments conjure associations with a ceremonious ritual of transformation across five symbolic thresholds of a woman’s life.

The Innocent, The Siren, The Matriarch, The Mourner, and The Ancestor are made of woven black linen strands interlaced with materials of physical, emotional, and psychic significance. The pockets of The Mourner, for example, contain black Keriah ribbons, the Jewish symbol of sorrow, and The Ancestor has small leather bags filled with life’s remnants, including teeth, birth and marriage certificates, fragments of letters, and obituaries.

Processional was first exhibited at Bart’s debut solo exhibition at the WARM Gallery in Minneapolis in 1978 and is the culmination of her sculptural experiments in fiber. In 1979, the artist spoke of her intentions for her textile works: “I want my weavings to have a quality of mystery and strength about them, . . . to have some power of their own as they confront you.”

Publications:

  • Bart Belvo Exhibition catalog 1978, essay Lights and Shadows by Kathryn Johnson/Art Historian

  • WARM A Feminist Art Collective in Minnesota, Weisman Art Museum, Joanna Inglot

  • Abracadabra and Other Forms of Protection, Laura Wertheim Joseph editor and curator, Weisman Art Museum

Exhibitions: