You Threaded in Me

You Threaded in Me

Morgan Ford Willingham

Morgan Ford Willingham’s investigation of motherhood considers the identity of parent and child, and weighs the influence of nature versus nurture. As a young woman growing up in the South, Willingham rejected the stereotypes of the ideal mother and woman, which often were the same. Now an adult and a mother, she finds herself electing to personify characteristics of these previously rebuked stereotypes and pondering the historical narrative of motherhood.

Willingham’s images individually and collectively allude to the roles of mother and daughter, and the historical and cultural influences that shape the identities of each. These depictions attest to selfhood, uncertainty, and parallels that are threaded between the ascendant and descendant. Extending past the snapshot, these images record the growth of the individual and the deepening connection within the familial unit.

The intimate nature of handling and manipulating the textile images in each piece with various hand embroidery techniques provides space to meditate on the connection between the artist and the artwork, the materiality of the work, and how each piece embodies a facet of identity.