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America’s Class of 2015

This large quilt (88 x 64″) shows the faces of 14 children of various skin tones. The year of their birth and death (all died in 2015) is written below their pictures. The quilt alternates rows of text and pictures. Row 1: In large lettering states: America’s Class of 2015, Below in smaller lettering: Disabled children murdered by their parents in 2015. Row 2 has 4 photos. Row 3 has one photo and the text: “There is no “mercy” in killing. No explanation that justifies taking a child’s life. It is simply murder. To say otherwise dishonors all the disabled children murdered by the people they love.” Row 4 has 4 photos. Row 5 has one photo and the text: “We must be concerned not merely about who murdered them but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers.” Martin Luther King, Jr., Eulogy for the Murdered Children (1963). Row 6 has 4 photos.

Quilt

88 x 64 inches (224 x 163 cm)
fabric, cotton batting, thread
Design assistance: Jo Magaraci & Sue Fox
Quilting: Sue Fox
Description: This large quilt (88 x 64″) shows the faces of 14 children of various skin tones. The year of their birth and death (all died in 2015) is written below their pictures. The quilt alternates rows of text and pictures. Row 1: In large lettering states: America’s Class of 2015, Below in smaller lettering: Disabled children murdered by their parents in 2015. Row 2 has 4 photos. Row 3 has one photo and the text: “There is no “mercy” in killing. No explanation that justifies taking a child’s life. It is simply murder. To say otherwise dishonors all the disabled children murdered by the people they love.” Row 4 has 4 photos. Row 5 has one photo and the text: “We must be concerned not merely about who murdered them but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers.” Martin Luther King, Jr., Eulogy for the Murdered Children (1963). Row 6 has 4 photos.

Nine large 12 inch squares are contained in a wooden frame that is painted with primary colors. Each two-sided square spins independently on a vertical axis. On the front side, eight large up-close photos of children of various skin tones surround a center square that reads “America’s Class of 2015. When the eight perimeter squares are turned around, the back side reads: “Mercy / Killing / Mean/ Disabled / People / Killed / By Those / They Love.” The back center square reads: “In 2015 in the United States 28 disabled children and 27 disabled adults were killed by their families.”
Nine large 12 inch squares are contained in a wooden frame that is painted with primary colors. Each two-sided square spins independently on a vertical axis. On the front side, eight large up-close photos of children of various skin tones surround a center square that reads “America’s Class of 2015. When the eight perimeter squares are turned around, the back side reads: “Mercy / Killing / Mean/ Disabled / People / Killed / By Those / They Love.” The back center square reads: “In 2015 in the United States 28 disabled children and 27 disabled adults were killed by their families.”

Sculpture

AMERICA’S CLASS OF 2015 sculpture (2016)
40 x 40 x 4 inches (101cm x 101cm x 10cm)
fabric, thread, wood, paint
Construction: Daniel Flaherty

Description: Nine large 12 inch squares are contained in a wooden frame that is painted with primary colors. Each two-sided square spins independently on a vertical axis. On the front side, eight large up-close photos of children of various skin tones surround a center square that reads “America’s Class of 2015. When the eight perimeter squares are turned around, the back side reads: “Mercy / Killing / Mean/ Disabled / People / Killed / By Those / They Love.” The back center square reads: “In 2015 in the United States 28 disabled children and 27 disabled adults were killed by their families.”