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By R. Darden Bradshaw

Over the years as I have returned to the objects, images and works within the Marian Library collection, I have done so in an effort to challenge and expand my thinking, to find points of connection or moments of awe and inspiration, and, out of a self-serving desire, to feel a sense of welcome within Marian art.  

So when I became an artist-in-residence in the Marian Library during the fall of 2024, I felt fortunate to receive this gift of time and access. Using fiber and all words associated with fiber arts (e.g., weaving, embroidery, textile, thread, etc.) as my search parameters, I explored the collection. I found moments of surprise and delight — like the small cross-stitched tondo of the donkey and animals at the Nativity. I found works that expanded my conceptions of fiber or Mary, such as the Tujia women weavings seen in the gallery and the “Lakota Madonna” by John B. Giuliani. And, as anticipated, I found many instances where the fullness of diversity of representation of Mary were omitted or where artworks were miscategorized. Despite “fiber” or “weaving” being a fairly well-used term within the art database, far fewer works were true weaving. This likely stems from a lack of knowledge of fiber processes; it has been a gift to share my expertise in fiber and, in turn, support collection maintenance and records.

Like most viewers, I look at art and artworks through a particular lens—as a fiber artist, this is often through the material nature of the work. At other times, the various lenses that make up the aspects of my identity—queer, white, Catholic, cisgendered, adoptive mother scholar, daughter—become the filter or filters through which I see and engage with the world. My experiences with the Marian Library collections have been informed by my ideas of Mary and Catholic social teaching, my knowledge of Marian art, and my faith. And, they have been informed by the ways in which diversity is reflected — or not — in what I encountered. It is with this context I am spending this semester weaving the composition on a loom in the Marian Library Gallery. When completed, the tapestry will embody some of the tensions and possibilities threaded in my research and, I hope, will be another opportunity to reflect a fuller conception of Mary within the Marian Library collection. 

Warp & Weft: Weaving Mary and Identity is on exhibit at the Marian Library Gallery from Feb. 18 through June 27.

– R. Darden Bradshaw, MFA, PhD, is an associate professor of art education and serves as area coordinator for art education.