"Witness" Explores Living with Cancer Through Quilts
Olsen's quilts look comforting but explore the impact of living with cancer as a young person.
Photos provided by Francesca Olsen
“Witness,” a textile art exhibition by artist, writer, and cancer survivor Francesca Olsen at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum in Lenox, February 13 through March 3, explores the experience of young adults during and after cancer treatment. Olsen’s quilts create striking visuals that draw attention to the alarming increase in cancer among younger people–while there has been an overall decrease in cancer deaths globally, there has been a stagering 79.1% increase in cancer rates for people under age 50 around the world. “This increase necessitates new methods and practices of care,” Olsen says.
To develop the quilts for this show, Olsen, a freelance writer for Rural Intelligence, spent time interviewing 17 young adults who were touched by cancer in different ways, from thyroid cancer and leukemia to breast cancer at all stages. Their invaluable perspective drives an exhibition about balance, re-entering the world, dealing with caregivers and the medical industry, and building community among people who have been through cancer.
“Cancer is often seen as an older person’s disease, but this is changing, and we need to draw light on how to address the needs of this patient population,” Olsen says. “Younger people are starting or building their careers. They often have young children to care for, or they are in the middle of taking care of aging parents, or doing both at the same time. They have fewer financial resources and less room to make mistakes, take extended time off, or find support.
“After treatment, they’re often expected to go back to “normal” without much time to re-evaluate who they are and what’s important now.” Olsen continues. “They live with cancer and its indefinite treatment, or the constant reminder that cancer could recur. Many of us live with daily complications and severe after-effects from treatment.”
Olsen, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in her 30s, has transformed her personal journey and the narratives of others into works. “Witness,” for which the show is named, includes embroidered quotes from survivor interviews in the style of a temperance banner or Victorian-era community quilt. “Treatment” is an embroidered wholecloth quilt that shows a chronological list of all the drugs Olsen has had to take during her cancer experience. “Ribbon” deconstructs the metastatic breast cancer ribbon’s colors (pink, teal, and green); “Verification” is a quilted floral greeting card based on the world of the online cancer community that asks, “is this happening to anyone else?”
“Witness” was created as a yearlong project supported by Artists at Work, a national workforce resilience program in the spirit of the WPA that is designed to support artists and their communities through artistic civic engagement. To date, AAW has provided 70 artists and culture workers across 11 states with a salary and health benefits, leveraging their power and creativity in partnership with over 80 cultural and community organizations throughout the nation.
To inaugurate the exhibition, Ventfort Hall will host a Tea and Talk event on Saturday, February 15, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST. During this gathering, attendees can engage in a group quilt activity led by Olsen and gain insights into the displayed works. Admission is free, but advance registration is required.
For those unable to attend in person, a virtual presentation via Zoom is scheduled for Thursday, February 20, at 7:00 PM. Registration details are available here.
