02. Between Shades of Gray Quilt by Ellen Witherly

 This quilt was inspired by “Between Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetus. A young Lithuanian teenager and her family are deported to Siberia in 1941 during the Soviet occupation of Lithuania. This was the fate of many educated professionals, business owners, Lituanian military, and artists, all considered “anti-Soviet” by occupying forces. To convey a sense of lack of control there is no set pattern to this quilt. There are some pieces that appear to form a maze, but there is no way out. Occasionally there are glimpses of hope, when fellow prisoners assist each other at great cost, without hope of personal gain; when a soldier risks his own safety to seek medical aid for the camp; and when the sun again arrives on the horizon after the first long Siberian winter.

< Previous | Back to gallery | Next >