Why her? Why her work/this artist? I’ve known Binah for about 8 years - seeing her at a mutual friend’s gatherings. I was both drawn in and intimidated by her. Drawn in to her rich storytelling voice - it lulls and hooks me. Beyond the voice, though, are the stories. Many stories. What I admire most about her is her curiosity about anything and everything. She just dives in to learn more about something that intrigues her.
Intimidated? A bit - her wisdom, her wealth of knowledge. Her knowledge about Black history. Intimidated as a white woman - will she look down on me? (no) Will she think less of me? (no)
I haven’t lived her life, nor she mine, but what I respect about her is that there are no pre judgments. No pretentiousness. She is a gifted, inquisitive artist and her art flows from the world around her, both present and past. Goddesses, rivers, slavery, West Africa, Black history in New Mexico.. - the stories of the history pour out of her through her art and her voice (literally, that voice. It will draw you in). I was compelled to bring those stories, that art, to Hip Stitch, so you, too, can know Binah, and hear her voice.
We began our journey from art to fabric at a Mother’s Day brunch hosted by our mutual friend Dagmar, in 2022. A conversation, followed by a text or phone call every few weeks. I visited her at the home she shares with her husband Gordon, in early November 2022 to see her artwork in person and narrow down what pieces we’d put onto fabric. On that chilly day, she made me hot chocolate and told me stories, and I took copious notes and took a few photographs but knew then I wouldn’t be able to re-tell in any way what she had in her to share. Stories of Black history, stories of her life growing up in New York.. Those are her stories to tell, so I won’t try to retell them here. Though here are a few highlights of her words to me:
Cloth is sacred, the symbols, the making of it. It conveys a message.
“We are in a time of great light”
“Are you connected to your world?”
The process is more important than the outcome.
People don’t think of the process in this culture.
Pieces of art, hers and Gordon’s individually and together. Here is “Coyote Medicine” that they made together during the pandemic:
And Gordon? He, an artist himself. Next time you’re in our store, admire the shelves running along the length of the store that hold our color way - yep, he made them. Here he is working on a pair of shoes they created together:
