Artwork copyright Helen Bitar. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Womb Wall, 1983

Helen Bitar
American (born 1940)

Location: Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia

About the Artwork

Womb Wall is a colorful art quilt created by artist Helen Bitar. She constructed the composition by appliqueing different materials in layers. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens inspired this piece. She created the imagery by visually abstracting references to cross-section drawings of the volcano. She notes, "I thought of the whole world and concentrated on the center, seeing it as a red wall pushing upward. I thought of the earth's energy and people's energy, often the pent-upness was the same."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Washington State Arts Commission.

About the Artist

Helen Bitar is a Pacific Northwest fiber artist. She creates fine art quilts. Born in Centralia, Washington, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1964. She has taught at many institutions including the University of Montana, The New School for Social Research in New York City, and Portland State University.