Carol Williams

Shepherdstown, WV 25443
P: 304 582 1467`
Website: http://anothercarolwilliams.com
Email:

I make textile wall hangings using quilted fabrics and buttons, in the style of "folk art meets political cartoons." I also write editorials for several local newspapers; they are published in a book called "the Age of Uterine Law," which also includes photos of my artwork.

the Male Gaze: index of useable parts

The "Male Gaze" refers to the sense that we as women are constantly being "sized up" in terms of our attractiveness (or lack of), and the self-consciousness that affects our behavior due to that awareness.

the Age of Uterine Law

This book consists of my editorials published in local newspapers like the Martinsburg Journal, the Baltimore Sun, the Shepherdstown Observer, and the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail. It also includes color photos of my textile artworks.

Turning Swords into Plowshares

This textile hanging reflects the biblical verse which instructs us to turn our weapons of death into instruments of life, and that "neither shall they teach war any more." The wire framing depicts warheads above the forest, where an empty pistol holster is strewing white pansies into the trees.

the Flag of the United States of Ammunition

As a veteran and a former ER nurse, I am biased towards preserving peace and health. We have invested much of our national energy into violence and hatred. The stripes on this flag are strips of eyelet laces, alternating white with ivory, and the border is cotton fabric printed with vintage rifles. A rosette at the top holds a toy gun I found in an old building we lived in, tucked into the attic rafters by the boy who had lived there 20 years earlier. The pewter buttons representing the stars bear the "crossed pistols" design. Fifty crosses sewn around the edges are not nearly enough to represent the many thousands of innocent people who have died at the hands of angry people who should never have had access to a firearm, especially one that was loaded with live ammunition.

the Inheritance: What we were given, and what we are leaving

We were given an earth that sustained us for many thousands of years. Rather than insure that it would be passed down for thousands more, we have instead opted to destroy the elements that kept us living. The 22 bushels of apples represent the gift of food that fertile farmland provided. The 5 apple cores, lying on bare floorboards, are all that will be left if we don't preserve the land, water and air for the future. The black wire fencing shows silos as they decrease in number, until there are no more.

Supported in part by:

The Washington County Arts Council, Inc. is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, (MSAC), an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the MSAC is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Additional funding is also provided by Washington County Government and generous businesses, organizations and individuals.

The Washington County Arts Council is a proud member of County Arts Agencies of Maryland, Maryland Citizens for the Arts and Americans for the Arts.

CAAM