51³Ô¹ÏÍø

A University of North Georgia (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) student and faculty member are participating in a Sonya Clark exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Roxie Fricton and Johanna Norry, a lecturer of studio art, are assisting with "Reconstruction Exercise," where they help visitors weave a recreation of the Truce Flag from the Civil War.   

Fricton, a senior from Dawsonville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in sociology and textiles, is grateful for the chance to be part of such a prominent artist's exhibition.  

"Sonya Clark is a wonderful artist who understands the power of education," Fricton said. "She's touching on topics that can be really hard for the public to see. She is bringing parts of history to our attention and asking us to engage with the subject and think about our individual responsibility to the collective whole." 

Fricton said she appreciates that Norry asked her to be involved with the project.   

"I'm always trying to get more experience than what's happening in the classroom," Fricton said. "I love getting out there and teaching more people about the process of handweaving."  

It has been a new element for Norry, as well, compared with teaching in the classroom.  

"This experience has reminded me just how unusual it is for someone these days to see someone handweaving, making cloth. We are all so removed from that process. And then there is, of course, what we are weaving," Norry said. "When visitors realize that the cloth we are making is the Truce Flag and that it will be displayed with this exhibit as it continues to travel, they are eager to be a part of creating a different narrative about the Civil War. It's a tangible way to be a part of it."