This thesis discusses the practice of quilting as a personal act of devotion to God. The work is entirely spiritual, dealing with concepts of human imperfection, art as devotion, selfless making, and obedience. Utilizing my personal practices, I question and examine the ways in which quilting can function as a messenger between Christianity and contemporary art to create a dialogue conjoining the two. Through my practice of quilting, studying historic and contemporary quilters, and focusing devotion into art making —this writing and thesis work attempts to enter into the dialogue of faith in art. Through tracing the quilt-making practices of the Amish, American Southerners, and Japanese makers, this paper will inquire about the deeper meaning within the practice that applies to a life of devotion.
Ultimately, the purpose of this project was to find God within my work as an artist and to share that in a sincere dialogue with a secular fine art environment. Throughout the process I found myself less and less in control of the end product, and continuously learned that God’s direction is not in my hands nor limited to this thesis. I can rest at the end of this project knowing that each day I remained committed in full devotion, and a seed of God’s complex presence was planted within my community.