Line is a Thread centers on the emotive, metaphorical, and visual aspects of line and thread. Numbered for February, the birth month of both my mother and grandmother, the serial project contains a set of 28 works documenting time as both a lived and measured experience.

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My mom told me this project reminded her of Ukrainian embroidery, vyshyvka. A few months after this conversation, she suffered a massive stroke and we were never able to converse again. The day after she was buried one of her childhood friends was serendipitously at the cemetery. I asked her to pronounce this word and others in Ukrainian—I grew up listening to the language, although I never spoke or understood it. My grandmother created many beautiful embroidery pieces in her lifetime. The counting and charting of folk patterns and my drawings has become a vital meditation to grieve, reflect on my family heritage, and pay homage to my mom and grandmother's resilience and strength.

Support for this project was provided with funds from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This project is in progress—please check back for updates.

DIANA BEHL

DIANA BEHL