Embroidered Testimony of the Salvadoran Civil War
Place made:Mesa Grande Refugee Camp, Honduras, North and Central America
Date: ca. 1985
Medium: Canvas, thread
Dimensions:
19 7/8 × 34 1/4 in. (50.5 × 87 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, donated by Ron Anderson
Object number: 2021.17.4
Inscribed: "Reprecion" (Repression) in UR corner
Label Text
Salvadoran women living at the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras embroidered these muslin sheets with graphic images of El Salvador’s civil war. Hundreds of similar textiles were distributed around the world to raise awareness of the refugees’ experiences. Although they may seem to record specific incidents of violence, recent examination has shown that the embroidered scenes were based on templates depicting common experiences.
Las mujeres salvadoreñas que vivían en el campo de refugiados de Mesa Grande, en Honduras, bordaron estas telas de muselina con imágenes gráficas de la guerra civil de El Salvador. Se distribuyeron cientos de textiles similares en todo el mundo para dar a conocer las experiencias de los refugiados. Aunque parezca que registran incidentes específicos de violencia, una investigación reciente ha demostrado que las escenas bordadas se basan en plantillas que mostraban experiencias comunes.
(LA, 2021)
Las mujeres salvadoreñas que vivían en el campo de refugiados de Mesa Grande, en Honduras, bordaron estas telas de muselina con imágenes gráficas de la guerra civil de El Salvador. Se distribuyeron cientos de textiles similares en todo el mundo para dar a conocer las experiencias de los refugiados. Aunque parezca que registran incidentes específicos de violencia, una investigación reciente ha demostrado que las escenas bordadas se basan en plantillas que mostraban experiencias comunes.
(LA, 2021)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
