APRON CHRONICLES: A Patchwork of American Recollections is a traveling exhibit comprised of photographs, text in story form and 200 vintage aprons.
Prompted by project writer and apron curator EllynAnne Geisel, the contributors to Apron Chronicles recall a woman who'd worn an apron and what she represented to a family; an event when an apron was worn; recipes; values and traditions from gentler, less complicated times; the bond between parent and child; survival; friendship; opportunity; challenge, and modern perspective.
The diverse contributors include a 111-year-old mother and her only child, a Holocaust survivor, a biology professor from Mali, Africa, and a preteen and her grandmother. Their stories explore the people behind the aprons and give life to the fabrics and the exhibit.
While writer EllynAnne is honored to be the voice behind the exhibit, photographer Kristina Loggia has preserved the storytellers' images in an environmental style that complements the unadorned honesty of their recollections. Like the oral histories, the portraits' strength is their directness and lack of pretension.
With APRON CHRONICLES as the vehicle, collaborators Geisel and Loggia are providing prompts that will have exhibit visitors recalling and sharing their own apron recollections, which unless heard soon, are in peril of disappearing forever.
