Portfolio > The Great Basin Murders

The Shroud of Starr Valley Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton
62" X 22"
2020
Handwoven burial shroud unidentified remains Elko county Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton
62" X 22"
2017
The Shroud of Starr Valley Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton
62" X 22"
2017
The Shroud of Devil's Gate Jane Doe
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, portion of acrylic sweater
65" X 22"
2020
The Shroud of Devil's Gate Jane Doe
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, portion of acrylic sweater
65" X 22"
2018
The Shroud of Devil's Gate Jane Doe
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, portion of acrylic sweater
65" X 22"
2018
The Shroud of Thousand Springs Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton, found, burnt clothing
65" X 22"
2020
The Shroud of Thousand Springs Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton, found, burnt clothing
65" X 22"
2018
The Shroud of Thousand Springs Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton, found, burnt clothing
65" X 22"
2018
A Shroud for Cora Carrillo
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, embroidery, chain
2021
A Shroud for Cora Carrillo
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, embroidery, chain
44" X 54" X 3"
2021
A Shroud for Cora Carrillo
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, embroidery, chain
44" X 54" X 3"
2021
The Shroud of Unidentified Person #7519
Handwoven cotton and pantsuit
65” X 24” X 3”
2023
The Shroud of Unidentified Person #7519
Handwoven cotton and pantsuit
65” X 24” X 3”
2022
The Shroud of Unidentified Person #7519
Handwoven cotton and pantsuit
65” X 24” X 3”
2022
A Shroud for Ermelinda Garza
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton
2023
A Shroud for Ermelinda Garza
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton
44" X 50" 3"
2020
A Shroud for Ermelinda Garza
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton
44" X 50" 3"
2020
The Shroud of Bitter Creek Betty
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, handwoven sweatpants, embroidery, found jewelry, panties
87" X 23" X 7"
2022
The Shroud of Bitter Creek Betty
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, handwoven sweatpants, embroidery, found jewelry, panties
87" X 23" X 7"
2018
The Shroud of Bitter Creek Betty
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, handwoven sweatpants, embroidery, found jewelry, panties
87" X 23" X 7"
2018
Handwoven burial shroud, cold case
Handwoven cotton, handwoven blouse, found clothing and jewelry
84" X 22"
2022
The Shroud of I-90 Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton, handwoven blouse, found clothing and jewelry
84" X 22"
2020
The Shroud of I-90 Jane Doe
Handwoven cotton, handwoven blouse, found clothing and jewelry
84" X 22"
2020
The Shroud of Shafter Jane Doe
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton
67" X 22"
2020
Handwoven burial shroud unidentified remains Jane Doe
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton
67" X 22"
2017
The Shroud of Shafter Jane Doe
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton
67" X 22"
2017
A Shroud for Tina Snell
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, polyester
44" X 54" X 3"
2021
A Shroud for Tina Snell
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, polyester
44" X 54" X 3"
2021
A Shroud for Tina Snell
Hand-dyed, handwoven cotton, polyester
44" X 54" X 3"
2021
Photo credit: Carrie Quinney
Discharged, handwoven cotton and nylon, freshwater pearls
2021
A Shroud for Tonya Teske
Discharged, handwoven cotton and nylon, freshwater pearls
44" X 54" X 3"
2020
A Shroud for Tonya Teske
Discharged, handwoven cotton and nylon, freshwater pearls
44" X 54" X 3"
2020

Funded in part with grants from the Alexa Rose Foundation, the Idaho Commission on the Arts, and the Boise State University College of Arts and Sciences.

In this body of work I am handweaving burial shrouds to commemorate the victims of the Great Basin Murders. Using Fiberworks, a weaving software program I develop original weave patterns using data from each case including height, weight and age estimates as well as the date and GPS coordinates of when and where the victim was located. The density of the weaving communicates the postmortem interval. While this work is an attempt to broach the anonymity of unidentified human remains through devotional craft, the resulting woven panels remain visually austere illustrating the absence of information that characterizes many cold cases.

I am collaborating with Carrie Quinney who documents the woven shrouds at the sites where each victim was found, stylistically bridging crime scene documentation and landscape photography. These images position the shrouds as bodies, contextualizing the series in art historical movements considering violence against women from Renaissance and Baroque paintings to contemporary participatory art addressing social issues, all against the backdrop of the ever foreboding, mysterious and beautiful Western landscape.