Page 14 - 50 Years of Fiber Art: The Fiber Artists of San Antonio Exhibition Catalog

Caryl Gaubatz

Texas, FASA member, slothcloth413@gmail.com

www.carylgaubatz.com

DECADE: 2000s

Language matters. Music affects our emotions & perceptions. Just like absorbing a
steady diet of violence in the media can desensitize us to violence, lyrics of songs &
hymns can inure us to harmful ideas that are inconsistent with moral behavior. Hymns
have been sung historically as an adjunct to worship. However, when they incorporate
militant language they give us veiled permission to colonize & replace the larger
message of peace with one of war and destruction. Although colonization & devaluing of
marginalized peoples has been going on for centuries, the last decade (2020) has seen
increased usage of religious symbolism & rhetoric by those on the right.The hymns
embroidered on this child's choir robe
were taken from Methodist &
Presbyterian hymnals. They are all in
the public domain & have been sung in
churches for centuries. The use of a
deconstructed military uniform as a
base for this garment dramatizes the
insidiousness of warlike images as an
adjunct to worship.

Choir Robe, 2022
Wearable Art
Repurposed Army uniform, rayon thread,
free moTon machine embroidery
42" x 27" x 6"
NFS