Who Am I Now? – Youth Story Quilts

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 that uses sunlight to develop prints. In this project students created “negatives” by drawing on transparencies that we then printed onto cyanotype fabric. Each student took home a print and contributed to the collaborative quilt project. These quilts are also a community invitation for reflection; they invite you to ask: Who Am I Now?

Quilt Creators, Facilitators & Supporters

Spring-Summer 2024

2nd Grade – Gerry Roybal
Student Artists: Aspen, Rigel, James, Zevin, Felicity, Andrew, Mia, Magnolia, Benjamin

2nd Grade – Naomi Gomez
Student Artists: John, Ezekiel, Cataleya, Davian, Davyna, Abel, Eli, Amberly, Anna, Analaya

3rd Grade – Feliz Ortega
Student Artists: Emerson, Fernando, Mya, Enrique, Jackson, Emma, Jason, Faith, Eliseo, Chris

3rd Grade – Ariana Ortega
Student Artists: Aiden, Aspen, Zachary, ​​Leah Grace, Asher, Susannah, Zylie, Alexandria, Manuel, Adriel

5th Grade Savannah Segura
Student Artists: Elijah, Mariah, Estevan, Mikayla, Tiara, Jeremiah, Maddix, Evanie, Liam, Damian, Joshua, Xavier, Sofia, Mary, MaKenzie, Zachary, Brenda, Abby, Avi, Hope, Cadi, Aiden, Kayliana

Guest Youth Artists: Simon Sisneros, Olivia Coté and Amber Coté

“Who Am I Now?” Art and Story Workshops facilitated by Claire Coté, Cat Gilliam (Questa Stories: Voices of the Northern Rio Grande) and Maya MacDonald (Alta Vista Art Teacher). Quilt designed and assembled by Claire Coté and Joan Long (LEAP) with guidance from Sharon Nicholson (Questa Public Library Head Librarian). 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. 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.