I’m thrilled that these Cyanotype Youth Story Quilts created by Alta Vista Elementary School Students are now out in our community to be enjoyed at our local library in Questa, NM. Find them in the children’s section!

What a labor of love it was to create, assemble and install these quilts! It wouldn’t have happened without the skills, patience and fortitude of my wonderful sister, Joan Long. I am so grateful we got to work together on this! Also, big thanks to our kids for a couple of last minute images and also to Cat Gilliam for installation help!

Project Background and summary of what’s printed into each quilt:

Who Am I Now?
Cyanotype Youth Story Quilts
by Alta Vista Elementary Students
with Questa Stories: Voices of the Northern Rio Grande
Spring 2024

These collaborative youth quilts are glimpses into the inner worlds of our young community members responding to the question: Who Am I Now?

In Spring 2024, Questa Stories: Voices of the Northern Rio Grande educators Claire Coté and Cat Gilliam spent a month and a half working with 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade students at Alta Vista Elementary School. Through this Art and Story Workshop 62 students shared fascinating and tender stories and created reflective cyanotype artworks including the identity portraits in these quilts.

Cyanotype is an early photographic process using sunlight. Students created “negatives” by drawing on transparencies that we then printed onto cyanotype fabric. Students took home a print and contributed to the collaborative quilt project. These quilts are also a community invitation; they invite you to ask: Who Am I Now?

Gratitude for patient guidance and collaboration from Alta Vista Art Teacher Maya MacDonald, Alta Vista Principal Deyhle Adkins, and Alta Vista School Administrator Lisa Romero and Head Librarian at Questa Library Sharon Nicholson. This project was made possible by funding from the LANL Foundation and Taos Community Foundation Chevron Grants for Good and in-kind personal donations of time and supplies.