Local Women Share Textiles, Tales

Delicately embroidered clothing finely crafted Portuguese lace, multicolored Oriental batiks, and ornate doilies, all created by Cambridge women, will be unveiled tonight as part of an exhibition sponsored by the Cambridge Oral History Center.

The 10 women contributing to the show entitled "Common Threads" hail from just as many ethnic communities in Cambridge. Their traditionally woven fabric arts are complemented by detailed oral histories describing the artists back grounds in Greek, Italian, Haitian, Black, Portuguese, and other neighborhoods.

Pieces range from the goat's wool tapestry of Apollo originally belonging to Kathy Galanopoulos' dowry to the fanciful quilts sewn by Italian-raised Mary Andella for her grandchildren.

Documenting the varied lives of these textile factory workers, teachers; artists, and housewives, the oral histories relate how needlework has helped these women overcome troubles in their homelands and difficulties in adjusting to a new country.

"Common Threads" explores the meaning of fabric art in women's lives and highlights the rich texture of the city's social fabric," says Cindy Cohen, director of the Oral History Center.

Rosario Morales, one of the artists featured and a second-generation American says, "I grew up on my parents stories of the beautiful Puerto Rican countryside and used these images for my craft work."

Even though she grew up in New York City. Morales adds that she spent "11 years [in Puerto Rico] as an adult working on a farm based on colonial agriculture." Like the other artists, Morales notes that these memories provide a source of inspiration for her crocheting.

"Fabric art gives me a sense of identity with other women who do the same thing around the world," says Susan Thompson, a Black artist whose specialty is quilting. "In most societies you find women being a little oppressed." Thompson explained in her Oral History, adding. "I feel their struggle and I feel their pain."

Cohen explains that she first got the idea for 'Common Threads' from the 1982 East Cambridge River Festival where she met the various fabric artists. The Cambridge City Arts, Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities. Polaroid Foundation, and MIT Museum all responded to Cohen's request for support and funding.

In addition, Ruth Edmonds Hill, coordinator of oral history projects at Radcliffe's Schlesinger Library and Chairperson of Cambridge's Center served as a consultant for the exhibit.

"The Oral History Center creates contexts in which the academic resources of local institutions can be made accessible to the community." Cohen adds. "Often we choose different formats to present oral history for people not trained in reading and writing." The fabrics and oral histories will be on exhibit at the Field Branch Library until late November when they will be moved to Farrington High School for a month.