Bag - Western By Pam Robbins, CACPAR19-69

"After teaching for forty years in Northern Arizona, now, place and time provides me an opportunity to bring together what I learned in a junior high home economics sewing class and anthropological studies at the University of Arizona in the early 197O's. After the first day of the class of Dr. Clara Lee Tanner's, in 1971, I was in awe of Southwest Indian Art created in multiple medias, in their place and time. 

I was so inspired about who was each individual, or community, and the environmental tools used for the process. Along with the beauty of the fibers of the indigenous people worldwide, I was fortunate to be allowed to have many knowledgeable professors guiding me to research and make me curious during my time at the U of A. 

Now, I am trying to find rugs that still have small bits of weaving joined together that many find unusable. They might be stained and filled with holes that they are no longer repairable. They are often discarded. I look for parts that are still there, where the beauty still comes through and can be enriched with linen, Guatemalan fabric, silver, turquoise, leather, horse tack, or some other found "gems". 

With my sewing machines and hand stitching I put together bags that reflect my memories and passion of learning. Each bag is a unique combination of materials and experiences brought back to life through learned technique and a desire to continue to tell the stories of the fabrics."