Carol Eacret-Simmons, director of the Dickinson State University Art Gallery, is showcasing her personal collection of needlework and art collages as a tribute to women whose names have been lost to history.
Titled "Anonymous Was a Woman," the show highlights examples of needlework that she has collected -- quilting, crochet, tatting and embroidery.
The remainder of the show are collages she made to honor various types of women -- "The Widow," "The Maiden Aunt," "The Gardener." The collages started with photos that she purchased in an Ohio antique shop.
"All the women in the old photos are anonymous and I don't know their stories. I studied the photos until a story came to me and then created a collage that suggested the story," she said.
She said none of these women led lives that were exotic; these were women who could have been family or lived down the street.
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"I am sure they were very strong and capable women," she said.
One of Eacret-Simmons' favorite pieces is titled "The Herbalist." The photo is framed with herbs taken from a garden and a book on plants.
"There weren't a lot of doctors around, so she knew how to heal people with herbs," she said.
She labeled another photo as "Free Spirit."
"She would be the kind of person who would be a mother's nightmare back in the day. She was out there running barefoot and climbing trees," she said.
A farm family is surrounded by pictures of farm animals and framed with chicken wire. "The Society Matron" was shown with an opulent background of lace and ribbons.
She imagined "The Governess" as a young woman, dressed plainly who cared for a little boy.
"I thought she gave the child the love the matron wouldn't," she said.
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Eacret-Simmons collected the needlework throughout the years and decided to frame some of it.
"I framed it because people don't think about it as art," she said.
She treasures her quilts because they are scraps of people's lives.
"I grew up with quilts. Some of my earliest memories are connected to them, sleeping under the Sunbonnet Girl quilt that was made from scraps of my Mother's and Aunt's dresses," she said.
Eacret-Simmons said the idea for the show came while she took a course in women's art history.
"Some works of art were attributed to male artists because women were deemed incapable of creating the art," she said.
Eacret-Simmons is doing her part to re-focus on art created by women, even if their names are unknown. The show continues through March 27.
The DSU Art Gallery is located in Klinefelter Hall. The hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
