The Personal Threads of Our Art Weave a Greater Cultural Tapestry

Everyone is a storyteller no matter the medium. Through our personal artistry, we form bonds from individual experiences that weave into our communities and our cultural experiences as a whole.

We Weave

Think of the weaver who creates a tapestry in bright colors, or muted tones selecting the right weight of yarn for softness and warmth. Then the artist gives it to a child. Or the quilter, that takes pieces of dated clothing, worn by beloved family members, and cuts patterns out of them to stitch up a quilt. In this respect, the art of knitting and quilting becomes a story of individual, family, and community.

We Remember

Think of the fine artist that paints or draws a picture that tells a story. Yes, we recognize and see story clearly at the time. Furthermore, maybe it’s not so clear but the artist’s desire is to remind you of your own stories deep within. Either way, the art speaks to something inside of you when you look at the piece. You’re reminded of or see story in one form, or another.

No one piece of art can be created by anyone else other than the individual. Your view and your art has purpose and place in community.

You’re never going to kill storytelling because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it.”

– Margaret Atwood

We Hear

Think of Beyoncé’s Lemonade, a narrative-driven body of visual and musical work, part abstraction designed to confront our cultural attitudes toward black women and people uncomfortable. Her song Don’t Hurt Yourself reminds me of the sounds and beats of another storyteller/musician Prince. Maybe that was purposeful on her part, maybe not. I listen to the simplicity in Prince’s love lyrics, but weaved with his live guitar riffs and boisterous sounds, he twists the lyrics in a way he wants us to hear the music and visualize the prose.

We See

Kendrick Lemar became the muse of the Black Lives Matter movement this past summer through his song Alright, and Childish Gambino a few years earlier in 2018. When my daughter played This is America video for me, I was stunned both at his incredible talent and by the violence of what This is America is to him. Both black men’s view of the U.S. came into my living room through their art. Their art confronted my world view and drastically changed what I thought America was, to me.

We Value

All of us as storytellers have our own view that is valuable. A perspective we bring to the holders, viewers, readers of our art. Art in all its forms is community driven. It brings us together, moves us, allows us to experience something beautiful, raw, or show something we haven’t seen, or experienced before. It can be powerful. Whether it’s for pleasure, entertainment, or social justice, we are the only ones that can share our experiences through our art.

Whatever your story is, whatever your medium, use it. Tell your story. No one else can.

By Leisa Greene and co-authored by Dustin Nelson