ENOUGH Considered Samplers

These stitched samplers were the starting point for the ENOUGH Considered project. They are inspired by traditional Victorian alphabet samplers that were created by girls as a means of simultaneously learning the material skills of stitching and the non-material skills of language, religious devotion, and femininity. In 18th and 19th century Europe, girls learned to read and write with thread on cloth, while ink and paper were reserved for boys. Since most alphabet samplers of that era were designed by the teacher, Wolf began to re-imagine how the disempowered student might find creative ways to assert agency through this restrictive form. How might those who have been silenced feel empowered to raise their voice? 
In a contemporary context, speaking through the form of the sampler raises questions about the relationship between language and power.  Who is empowered to speak, and in what language? Whose voice is heard? Whose is silenced or ignored?