Stitching threads of pain and joy

The Grebel Gallery’s latest exhibit is a beautiful mix of calm and chaotic. It features over 50 pieces that invite reflection on the intricate nature of conflict and art. This retrospective exhibit weaves intertwining themes of disability, abuse, suffering, belief, unbelief, destruction, and regeneration. 

The artwork is created by Elizabeth Ann Wenger (1946-2022), a Mennonite artist who lived and worked in Goshen, Indiana, USA. Elizabeth (Liz) used textile arts – line drawings, needlework, and poetry – to express themes that are both religious and universal.  

The exhibit is curated by Carol Penner, Director of Theological Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, and Sadie Ingle, a current Master of Theological Studies student. Carol first encountered Liz’s work two decades ago when she visited Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana. She recalls it fondly, “I was really moved by it. I actually bought a card of this one piece of artwork and had it on my bulletin board for a long time, so I always thought of her.”  

Carol invited Sadie to join her as co-curator last term when Sadie was a student in one of Carol’s classes. Carol showed a few images of Liz’s artwork during a class and Sadie’s face lit up. “It just struck me in the heart when I saw it,” they expressed. Liz’s artwork was entrusted to AMBS, and some pieces from the collection were exhibited at Conrad Grebel in 1982. With AMBS’ support, Carol and Sadie have been working together for the past couple of months to welcome Liz’s artwork back to Conrad Grebel University College for a second exhibit.  

As curators, they are inspired by her message and stories. To be able to bring justice to her life and work is a gratifying and hopeful experience, “We’ve watched video and audio tapes of her explaining her work, so it really feels like I’ve gotten to know her, and I’m very committed to her values as well, so it feels really an honour to be curating this,” Carol shared. 

Liz was often in and out of hospital due to a neural tube defect that affected her spinal cord and caused a disability called spina bifida. She also had dyslexia which made school difficult for her. During one of her hospital visits, her aunt gave her a cross-stitch kit, sparking her interest in needlepoint.  

Needlepoint allowed her to work through her pain and betrayal as well as her love and hope, stitch by stitch. It was a practical medium since she could create needlepoint while lying in bed and listening to the radio, TV, or chatting with friends. She slowly processed her religious beliefs through her art as well as the complex physical and emotional trauma she experienced while growing up. While in the hospital, Liz created 52 line drawings which she continued to work from and transform throughout her life. The exhibit displays a few unfinished pieces that Liz was working on before she died. 

Liz identified as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and her artwork became a means of reflection on her experience. Each piece reflects theological and archetypal human experiences as much as the particularities of her own personal life. 

This exhibit not only celebrates Liz’s legacy, but it is also an opportunity to think about peace and conflict differently in our own life. Sadie shared how in Liz’s videos, she spoke about how her relationship with faith changed quite a bit over time: “She was able to work towards more loving images and being able to see and find grace, peace, and love or ‘the gold ring’ as she says, everywhere. I’m excited for people to find their own flashes of grace in her images.” Carol shares Sadie’s excitement. “Hopefully, it will inspire other people to do that in their own lives, to think: I can work out my own salvation. I can come to peace through art perhaps.” Her artwork is compelling on many levels and represents how to hold things that are in conflict at the same time.