| Description: | This arpillera by Teresa Amaya Amaya, Barcelona, Spain, was made for International Women's Day 2009 during a 12 session course at Fundacio Ateneu San Roc,facilitated by María Viñolo and Alba Pérez.
Teresa, who is 50 years old, shared with the facilitators what motivated her to create this piece: "When I was a child we were five brothers and sisters, from which I am the oldest. In those times they were all young and they were all brought up at home. The only one who has travelled around is me. I have carried the burden of looking after my siblings. When I was about 12, I used to go and look for iron and sell it afterwards at the thrift store. I also helped my mother begging and I have also struggled for food, as there was lots of hunger around in those times. I was just a child when I went down to Barcelona to beg, to the market of the flowers. Foreigners used to come, sailors from a ship and they all gave you some money. I did not sing or give them rosemary, which would have been fooling them. I just stretched my hand, was barefooted, without clothes or anything. Sometimes the police would come, and then took us to the police station. It was me and many other gypsies that they arrested. To be released I paid with the money I had received or, if my mother had some, she paid it." |
