Jessica Gritton
Dimensions: 12″ by 12″
Medium/Materials: Cotton thread on linen
Date Completed: August 5, 2019

This piece is inspired by traditional stitched samplers that were a common part of
girls’ education in the 18th and 19th centuries. This sampler includes typical elements such as a border of strawberries and alphabets of different sizes. Samplers traditionally contained verses that recited religious or moral statements. The verse here says “trans bodies are holy.” It is a statement of my faith as a transgender woman. The verse is surrounded on both sides by
representations of birds of paradise, which represent to me that life can come in unusual shapes and sizes and still be beautiful and wonderful. Beneath the verse are representations of a star, the sun, and the moon, which are symbols of heaven in the religion I grew up with.