Introducing Sewing Stories: An ArtsWestchester Podcast
ArtsWestchester’s large-scale fabric installation with artist Amanda Browder was put on hold due to COVID-19. Beginning June 10, a new podcast, “Sewing Stories,” will tell the stories of individuals who have been involved in the work’s creation. Below is an excerpt from the podcast’s first episode:
“My name is Barbara Glab. I was born in Poland and at age twenty-four, I came to the United States… Everybody in Poland had a [sewing] machine. After World War II, there were not that many stores and places to buy things, so people were buying fabric and making clothes for themselves. Almost every resident had a machine…I learned before I even went to school. But in school, it was just learning crochet, things like that, but not sewing, because you couldn’t bring a machine. We didn’t have those portable ones; we had machines attached to tables. But I was born with it…that craft. I like my quilts to be used, even though I put them all over my walls. Because I enjoy looking at them. It’s funny – I go from kitchen to dining room, and I say ‘Oh my God, beautiful.’ I go to the living room and I say ‘How nice!’ You have to surround yourself with things that your eyes like. And you are happy. You are getting up and you are looking at things that you like and you are a happy person, first thing in the morning.
I used to work for a civil engineering company. It started that I used to make drawings in ink. I liked that work so much. Computers just started, so everything was made by ink. I couldn’t wait for the morning to come, to go to work. But when I got older, after 20 years working with that company, later it was computers nonstop. No hand drafting. My eyes were getting more tired and more tired. So I said I have to quit, I have to quit. At that time, I couldn’t wait to get home to my sewing machine. And now, when I retired, I go to sleep and I am angry that it is dark and I cannot sew. Really! I am upset! And I say, God, let the morning come quick so I can go to my sewing machine.’ I think I am nuts!”
To listen to this and other podcast episodes, visit ArtsWestchester’s YouTube Channel.
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About ArtsWestchester
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest private not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and sustainable Westchester County in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue. artsw.org