Speaking in the Venacular

Imagine watching an artist riding her bike through the streets of Seattle. Tools like hammers, wire, and nails are safely stowed in a bag on the back of the bike for easy access if they are needed for art-making during the day. Upon noticing a discarded cigar box, the rider stops to examine it before placing it with the tools in her bag. After work, she rides back to her studio to review the “junk” gathered throughout the day. Stories and patterns emerge as she strategically organizes the various objects into a type of quilt. There are multiple layers of meaning present in each artwork. They may reflect events from earlier in the day or represent a famous political figure she admires. The objects also signify a moment of time and place from where they were gathered, but more on that later in this feature. For decades, Seattle artist Ross Palmer Beecher has been gathering, creating, and commenting on the world around her and how artists like herself are woven into the fabric of the community. For the first time, Ross Palmer Beecher’s expansive career is on view in a museum exhibition. Ross Palmer Beecher: Speaking in the Vernacular is a major survey of this artist’s career and her dedication to the community in which she lives, as demonstrated by her decade’s long role at the Bailey-Boushay House and their art therapy program.

Beecher’s multimedia quilts are a fixture in both public and private collections throughout the region, and thankfully this ambitious exhibition includes loans from many of these collections. Exhibition curator Christian Waguespack has gathered an impressive checklist of  pieces to illustrate the breadth of Beecher’s work and the various topics that interested her over the decades. What is immediately obvious is the artist’s use of Americana imagery and quilt patterns, such as log cabin and parlor fan quilt patterns. Beecher described her process in an ArtsWA American Masterworks short film in 2013 (the video is still available on YouTube) and she described how the political turmoil of the 1960s impacted both her childhood and future artistic decisions. Art is a way for Beecher to process the news, both good and bad, and to share those layers of emotions with the world. It is interesting to imagine what news or situation Beecher may have encountered to inspire “Twisted Truck Safety Diamond Quilt (with Levelers),” for example. Words like “Flammable” and “Poison” are twisted and dissected within the assemblage of oil paint, wire, tin, and aluminum. It is feasible to consider that Beecher came upon a discarded pile of warning signs, and this is also an artistic object that documents a discovery of materials in a particular location. 

In Beecher’s words, “I love cutting things in half!” The artist made this statement in the previously mentioned American Masterworks short film, and the passion is evident in her work. As an example, “Downton Abbey Quilt” is included in the exhibition and features tea pot spouts surrounded by silk neck ties. The exhibition’s curatorial statements make connections between Beecher’s work and various artistic movements that appear to be inspirations for the artist, such as “outsider art” and sculptures or assemblages created by Joseph Cornell and Robert Rauschenberg. What is continually fascinating for me is Beecher’s constant reference to traditionally domestic spaces, activities, and objects—and references to sacred ones too. Quilts, teapots, keys, and dolls are familiar in Beecher’s work, but utilized and imagined in unexpected ways. The artist has recreated a pointed Gothic window with wired copper, parts of cigar boxes, and other found objects in “Teapot Bare Window Quilt” from 2019. Measuring 72 x 24 x 7 inches, it is incredibly impressive and overpowering in person, like the intent of the Gothic architecture from the twelfth through sixteenth centuries. A copper object, perhaps another tea pot or kettle, has the appearance of being smashed or flattened at the top of the window, and a pattern of hexagonal copper and resin plates replicate the effect of stained glass. Door handles without doorknobs also adorn the surface of the picture plane, but it is unclear if we are entering or exiting Beecher’s imagined place. Nevertheless, viewers have been given access to the artist’s daily life and regimented process. 

Ross Palmer Beecher encourages us to all take note of our surroundings and use art to process the challenging moments in our life and world. The exhibition is a testament to her dedication to process, community, and creating really good art. 

Chloé Dye Sherpe

Chloé Dye Sherpe is an art professional and curator based in Washington State.

“Ross Palmer Beccher: Speaking in the Venacular” is on view through September 20, Sunday and Monday from 12 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Museum of Northwest Art, located at 121 South First Avenue in La Conner, Washington. For more information, visit www.monamuseum.org.