Derby

Derby

Knehans, Sophia

Barn scene draws on the visual language of tattoo flash sheets along with memories from my childhood in rural Missouri. In the center stands a red barn that once sat beside my grandmother’s house. It’s crowned by two swallows in flight. At its core, this work is an ode, and in its creation, a preservation of fading memories. I decided to use the medium of tapestry, drawing on its historical role as a storytelling device, while incorporating modern methods of immortalization. While constructing this tapestry, I revisited the site of the barn through Google Street View to draft my reference. This process allowed me to examine my recollection with objectivity, cementing a present image of my youth as I reconstruct memory. I modeled the swallows based off of a necklace I received at my first communion in addition to traditional tattoo imagery. The combination of these sources illustrates the tension between the religious ideals I was raised to believe and the culture they denounce. I sought to appropriate these symbols and ideals to honor an unlikely recipient: an abandoned barn. Ultimately, Barn Scene serves as both a personal monument and a meditation on how we hold onto memories.

2026