The Lost Heroes Art Quilt, created by artist Julie Feingold in 2009, represents a major homage to the fallen heroes in the Iraq and Afghanistan war on terrorism since September 11, 2001.
The Quilt’s main phrase at the top reads “Without a witness, they will disappear”, a strong statement that defines Feingold’s heart and purpose for this piece: to not ever forget those who sacrificed their lives in the fight for their country.
by Milagros Bello, Ph.D.
Feingold says: “…. I have learned about young men and women of compassion, courage and selfless devotion. Indeed, I learned about their individuality, which is something that I think most Americans don’t think of when faced with the numbers lost to war, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Understandably, it is painful to think about the fallen, but I wanted to find a way to remember those who fought for the freedoms we hold dear in America …”
Seldom are artists so deeply touched by an epic or historic event that they dedicate, as in Feingold’s case, more than two years for laying the base of the work, sponsoring the production, and making this monumental artwork that sharply signals one of the most algid events in recent American history. During this time she was an advocate of the revival, memory, and knowledge of the life of those fallen heroes. This artistic quilt presents and informs the viewer about the individual aspects of the heroes.
Feingold asked their mothers to write about them, about their personalities, their families, their life plans, their careers, and their friends, creating in the piece not only the physical features of the hero but also incorporating their individual personality traits, thus giving the piece a real sense of a life.
Fifty fallen heroes were chosen to be on the quilt, each one representing each of the fifty states of America, with an additional thirty-two heroes represented on the border. In her investigation for the artwork, Feingold gathered precious statements from the mothers and relatives of the fallen heroes that reflect the mourning, pain, and the immense power of the families’ loss. Mothers and relatives have created a collective history of war for the American archives. These writing are an undeniable evidence of a critical epoch, and will serve as a learning platform for future generations.
Here are some crucial excerpts that expose the lives and values of those lost heroes, but also show the grief and sorrow on the families they left behind:
- “Carrie died in Kirkut. Iraq on June 5, 2005 when an improvised explosive device was detonated as her convoy truck went by on its way back to base from a re-fueling mission. Carrie had turned 19 the 28th of February…” (excerpts taken from the writing of Paula Hylinsky, Proud American gold Star Mother of Army Corporal Carrie Lee French/she is representing the state of Idaho and all of the fallen heroes from that state)
- “Our 19 year old son, PFC Mykel F. Miller, was killed in action in the Zabul Province, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom on September 6, 2007. He had plans to come home, go to college, and just live life to the fullest…” (excerpts taken from the writing of Maria Miller, Proud American Gold Star Mother of Army Private First Class Mykel F. Miller/ he died on September 7, 2007, Age 19, in Qalat, Afghanistan/representing the State of Arizona and all of the fallen heroes from that state)
- “Nick was a very spirited young man. He loved life and had more friends than he could count…” (excerpts taken from the writing of Beverly Fabri, Proud American Gold Star Mother of Army Private Bryan Nicholas Spry/ he died on February 14, 2004, Age 19, in Baghdad, Iraq/representing the State of Maryland and all of the fallen heroes from that state)
From the official Web site: http://www.heart2hand4art.com/lostheroesartquilt/firstpage.htm
Feingold mastered the inception of these stories into a complex composition. In a sole monumental block of fabric she created a grid pattern in which she located the images and the stories of the heroes. In each square of the grid she included an image of a hero representing each of the fifty states, and his or her recollected writings appear on the two side borders that surround each hero. In this form, Feingold gives personalized details of their individualities.
Viewers access these testimonials as well as the images almost immediately, getting a quick perception of the whole visual narrative. The artist, using the traditional quilting technique of sewing and stitching, went beyond this conventional method, incorporating a new kind of applique in the quilt. She “applied”, or pieced, photographic images of the lost heroes inserted into fabric jackets onto the original fabric base, creating a dynamic design in the outlook at distance of the piece.
The artist represented the soldiers as children in a manner to equalize all of them in their inner human nature, regarding only their valor and courage, and not necessarily their rank or their career in the military. They are identified in detail, in each square. The heroes are represented in black and white, as a symbol of death and mourning. Feingold represented each hero only in half body, dressed with vintage G.I Joe jackets she collected and bought online. Solid green jackets are meant for those who served in the Army, while camouflage jackets represent those who served in the Marines.
Included are a couple of sailor shirts for those who served in the Navy, and some lighter colored jackets for those who served in the Air Force. Feingold chose those G.I Joe jackets as recognition of past wars, and as a symbolic gesture to the Vietnam War. The G.I Joe action figure introduced by Hasbro in 1964, served as a character reference to the Vietnam War. Four religious symbols are located in the four corners of the quilt: the Cross, the Star of David, the Crescent Moon, and the Om Symbol, as evidence of the universality of the religious beliefs in the American society.
The colors in the quilt have a symbolic meaning, which Feingold describes as follows: “Army Green denotes youth and hope. Black denotes death, sadness, grief and sorrow. White represents the spirit, the soul. Also, innocence, goodness, peace and sincerity. Red denotes blood, war and military fortitude. Blue denotes courage, loyalty and truth. Gold denotes generosity and worthy ambition. Brown represents the earth, where the heroes now reside. The inclusion of red, white and blue denotes the colors of the American Flag.”
In this carefully composed collage of images and mixed media, Feingold takes the quilting approach into the realm of conceptual art. In her quilt she not only recovers as art, a forgotten craft tradition that is rooted in American history, but she also exposes a social document that invokes the primal realities of war, and the personal feelings of loss of the families.
As Marie-Claire Lavabre points out, Feingold’s quilt works on the American collective memory. “… Collective memory can be defined as an interaction between the memory policies – also referred to as “historical memory” – and the recollections – “common memory,” of what has been experienced in common. It lies at the point where individual meets collective, and psychic meets social. ”
Upon the individual representation of the heroes, Feingold allows the public to experience the individuals in their physicality, informing them of their hopes, desires, life plans, as well as how, when and where they died, giving birth to a communal social platform in which the private becomes public, and the individual reality becomes a social reality in a shared transcendental symbolic experience.
Collective memory carries out social representations that weigh the effects of the past, or of the present, commemorating and remembering personal facts and events that become the base for a social identity.
The Lost Heroes Art Quilt works as a visual and social narrative in the arts. It functions as a symbolic strata for the American people. It preserves historical facts, and at the same time becomes a reflection of valor and courage. The piece becomes a monumental paradigm of national significance in which many layers of meaning intercross. It is a grandiose example for our future generations of the unforgettable deeds of our society.
For more information or to view the quilt or a quilt square in detail, go to the official Julie Feingold Web site.
*Milagros Bello is a Miami based art curator, art critic, and Consulting Editor of the Arte al Dia Art magazine. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology of Art, and a French Master’s Degree in Art History from Sorbonne University, in Paris, France. She teaches Art at Florida Atlantic University, and Sociology at American InterContinental University. She lectures nationally and internationally in museums and art institutions. She writes and collaborates regularly in art magazines.
Marie-Claire Lavabre For a Sociology of a Collective Memory
Used by permission
