“With the vivid, sculptural work, ‘Green Star Quilt,’ artist Wally Dion has cleverly transformed ordinary materials that most people rely upon every day, but do not notice, into a bold work of art. The star pattern is evocative of the quilting tradition practiced among many Native communities in the United States and Canada, but this quilt is constructed with repurposed computer circuit boards. Like a conventional quilt, each piece is stitched together, though Dion used wire instead of thread. The resulting sculptural work plays with our expectations: soft, comforting cloth has been replaced with rigid material and the surface is visually complex with a multitude of mechanical, sharp protrusions.”
—Kathleen Ash-Milby, Curator of Native American Art
“My Star Blanket quilts are sewn together using recycled computer motherboards. While these works re-examine the importance of craft and skilled labor, they also focus upon the crucial role women played within Indigenous communities: as nurturers, gatherers, teachers, and leaders. For me, these quilts merge traditional symbols with contemporary materials, speaking to the opportunity, and potential menace, presented by technology.”
—Wally Dion, www.wallydion.com
Wally Dion (Canadian and Yellow Quill First Nation/Saulteaux, born 1976). Green Star Quilt, 2019. Circuit boards, brass wire, copper tube. Museum Purchase: Funds provided in memory of Brian Gross, 2020.1.1
