"Protecting
the Oceans that God has Created"
A narrative quilt
created in 1998 by the members of the Gloucester
Fishermen's Wives Association (GFWA) tells the story
of their struggles against factory trawlers, fish
farming, oil drilling, and other threats to the
oceans. It honors the history and faith of the fishing
industry and celebrates its future. The quilt was
created in conjunction with nationally known quilt
maker, Clara
Wainwright.
Wainwright came together with GFWA members every
Wednesday night during the summer of 1998 to conceive
and create the quilt that tells the 30-year story
of the organization.
Here's what Angela SanFilippo, president of the
GFWA, had to say at a retrospective of Clara Wainwright's
work held at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture
Park in Lincoln, MA in November of 2001:
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The central panel
of the quilt expresses its overall theme for "Protecting
the Oceans that God has Created." Each of the
18 side panels around the quilt depicts a separate
episode in the life and history of Gloucester's
fishing community and the work of the organization.
The quilt is also more than a testimonial to the
New England and Gloucester fishing industry. It
speaks to the need for all to protect the oceans.
This is the responsibility of all men and women
to be ever vigilant so that the oceans will be kept
as sacred places for all humankind to enjoy and
from which to draw life. The Gloucester Fishermen's
Wives Association quilt thus expresses a message
of responsibility to the world.
The Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Quilt is one of
ten in a "Millennium Series" Clara Wainwright
developed with community organizations in and around
the Boston area. All ten quilts of Wainwright's
"Millennium Series" were on exhibition
in Boston during 2000-Millennium festivities.
Postcards of
the quilt (6" x 8 1/2") are available
from the GFWA.
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(Click to see all panels).