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Trapped
Mary Borkowski
Photographer unidentified
Trapped
Trapped
Mary Borkowski
Photographer unidentified
Trapped Mary Borkowski Photographer unidentified
Record Details

Trapped

Artist ((1916–2008))
Date1968
Place/RegionDayton, Ohio
MediumCotton and silk thread on polyester
Dimensions26 7/8 × 32"
Credit LineGift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler
Accession number1981.2.2
Description

This needlework picture by Ohio artist Mary Borkowski glows with silk threads on a silky field. The narrative, too, is brilliantly lit by the blazing fire stitched in golden-yellow threads. It is based on the life of Borkowski’s friend Raymond Turner, who owned the apartment building in which the artist lived. According to Borkowski, Turner was consumed with money and engaged in nefarious activities that eventually attracted the unwelcome attention of the Internal Revenue Service. He lost almost everything and died at the age of seventy. Rather than granting him what Borkowski considered a “decent funeral,” Turner’s family had him cremated. This thread painting is Borkowski’s testament and warning; an homage to her friend Mr. Turner and an illustration of the greed that caused his downfall.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Trapped," exhibition label for Ooh, Shiny!. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2012.

Mary K. Borkowski, (1916–2008), “The Whip”, Dayton, Ohio, 1969, Cotton and silk thread on polye…
Mary K. Borkowski
1969
2018.19.3
Mary K. Borkowski, “The Vision”, Dayton, Ohio, 1969, Cotton and silk thread on polyester,  20 1…
Mary K. Borkowski
1969
2018.19.6
Mary K. Borkowski, (1916–2008), “The Unhappy Hooker”, Dayton, Ohio, c. 1968, Cotton and silk th…
Mary K. Borkowski
c. 1968
2018.19.7
Mary K. Borkowski, (1916–2008), “Indifference - Domestic Violence -The Incident”, Dayton, Ohio,…
Mary K. Borkowski
1967
2018.19.8
Mary K. Borkowski, (1916–2008), “Patient Dismissed”, Dayton, Ohio, c. 1968, Cotton and silk thr…
Mary K. Borkowski
c. 1968
2018.19.9
Mary K. Borkowski, (1916–2008), “President's Decision”, Dayton, Ohio, 1981, Cotton and silk thr…
Mary K. Borkowski
1981
2019.9.7
Stars over Hawaii Quilt
Mary K. Borkowski
Photographer unidentified
Mary K. Borkowski
1979
1981.5.1
Mary K. Borkowski, “Moonlight Romance”, Dayton, Ohio, 1994, Silk thread and fabric; mixed media…
Mary K. Borkowski
1994
2018.23.1
Mary K. Borkowski, “Untitled”, Dayton, Ohio, 1976, Silk and cotton, 52 x 40 1/2 in., Collection…
Mary K. Borkowski
1976
2022.12.1
Mary Borkowski, (1916–2008), “Double Wedding Ring Quilt”, Dayton, Ohio, 1988, Cotton, muslin, a…
Mary K. Borkowski
1988
1990.25.14