Beaded Tapestry | Thankful Generations

Download Video transcript

Click on a photograph to read more details about each of these heroes of WWII

Tapestry of Marine in Saipan

In late 2012, I was watching the World War II Ken Burns PBS Special “The War”. The lead-in photograph of a Marine stared from the screen, capturing my attention. It took a bit of research, but I was able to identify the picture as a National Archives photograph of Marines in Saipan (127-GR-113-83414).
What I saw on the TV special is only a small portion of a much larger photograph. This young man is actually a stretcher bearer, who with three others is carrying the remains of a fallen Marine tagged for burial. Visible on the stretcher itself, under a heavy cloth cover, are the soles of a downturned pair of boots, a small white tag tied to a shoelace no doubt bearing his name, rank, serial number; important details that will get him to his final resting place.

Tapestry of my uncle, Arthur Swanson

Meet a true American hero, my Uncle Arthur. Arthur Swanson served as a radio man with E Company, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division. Fighting in the European theater in December 1944, he was seriously injured when an artillery shell hit a tree just over his fox hole, shrapnel severely shredding his legs. He was evacuated on the back of a tank, ultimately endured 74 operations, and was in the hospital for 4 years and 9 months.

Tapestry of Joseph Cardoza

Meet US Navy Corpsman Joseph Vierra Cardoza, the subject of my latest WWII tapestry. His son, Rod shares his story: "I believe the image you have there is of him during his service as a U.S. Navy Corpsman stationed in Borneo in 1943. He told me he was part of a "Cub Unit" in support of the wounded as a result of battles during the "Island Hopping Campaign". It was not a safe job for him. On several occasions he was subject to front line fighting and ended up being the recipient of the Purple Heart medal."

Tapestry of my mother-in-law, Doris Neuren

My mother-in-law, Doris Jacobson Neuren, was born in 1922 in Hudson County, New Jersey. According to her daughter (my sister-in-law), Janet, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Doris enlisted in the WAVES, and did her basic training in Stillwater, Oklahoma. From there she was assigned to the Fire Control School in Anacostia, and then served as a Yeoman in the Chaplain’s office in Washington, D.C. She was proud of her wartime service, and following her time in the military, she was recognized by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, Jackson Heights Post No. 209 on March 18th, 1944.

Tapestry of Ana Mae Shellenbarger Savage

Ana Mae was a welder at the Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard in Maine during WWII, and this tapestry was made from her BIW badge photograph. She was the first woman qualified as an oxyacetylene welder at BIW during the war and a real life Rosie the Riveter! Her father and grandfather both worked at BIW in the Carpenters Shop. Her son, Bruce Savage, worked there for 33 years. BIW's multi-generational family roots run very deep indeed.

After the war, Ana Mae met and married Doc Savage, who is captured in the next tapestry ...

Tapestry William 'Joe' Hudson

I offered to create two tapestries for a “Courage” exhibit for the Doss Heritage and Cultural Center in Weatherford, Texas. The first tapestry is of Parker County resident, William Hudson. I had the opportunity to meet him in March 2017. He shared his story with me, and I shared my completed tapestry with him.

Born in Parker County in 1919, Mr. Hudson was drafted into the Army at the age of 21, fought in WWII in Italy, was ultimately injured and captured and was a prisoner of war for 19 months in Germany.

Tapestry of Don Vandagriff

Don was drafted into the Army Air Force in World War II. Because of his high score in math and science, he was sent to Colorado to train with the Norden Bomb Site, which was the most secret weapon at the time. In addition to serving as a bomb site specialist he also worked as a Russian Translator. During World War II he served in the U.S., England, France and Russia. Following the war, he served as a munitions inspector for the Army in the U.S., Germany, Okinawa, and Korea. He retired to Anniston, AL later in life.

Tapestry of Joe Brown

My parent's neighbor, Joe Brown, served in World War II like many in his generation. He heroically served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. On his ship, LST-47, he traveled from the United States to Nova Scotia, England, Scotland, France, Algeria, Italy, Norfolk, Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. He and his shipmates supported the D-Day invasion in June 1944, dropping off troops and supplies at Utah and Omaha Beaches, while transporting wounded personnel and over 1,000 German prisoners. All of this before he turned 20 years old!

Tapestry of my grandparents, Dolly and Chester Kenney

When I think of my grandparents Chet & Dolly, images of the creaky house in Worcester, MA and their old Maine farmhouse fill my memories. How vibrant they looked on their snow mobiles during the winters on that old farm.
My grandfather Chester Aloysious Kenney served in WWII as an Engineer in the Corps of Engineers. This is one of several tapestries I made from a photograph of his WWII service. I decided to create Grampa's tapestry on my new very large Joni Mirrix Loom, which prompted me to use size 10 delica beads (a slightly larger bead than I normally use).
Not satisfied with the first two tapestries of him, I dismantled both and ended up iwth a daunting pile of 50,000 loose beads. After sorting through this "bead soup" for several weeks to separate out the various colors, I decided to create another tapestry from these beads again featuring my grandfather, and this time with my grandmother, Dolly.

Note to bead weavers:
When using the slightly larger size 10 beads, what you gain in size you lose in clarity due to pixelation. If your aim is to have the pixelated effect, then by all means help yourself. However, for facial tapestries in which subtle shading and nuanced curves are desired, stick with the smaller size 11 delica beads.

Tapestry of my grandfather, Chester Kenney

Finally, a tapestry of my Grandfather, in his WWII uniform that came out exceptionally well, thanks to switching back to size 11 delica beads.
Grampa Kenney was a soft spoken man with a gentle presence. And like so many from his generation, he served his time in WWII.
According to his own hand written journal, he did a variety of functions in the Corps of Engineers including his work as an Airial (sic) Photo Multiplex Operator.

Note to bead weavers: If you compare the pixelation of this tapestry to the previous tapestry of both grandparents, the advantage of using the slightly smaller size 11 beads over size 10 is clear. I doubt I will ever use the size 10's for a facial tapestry again.

Maureen Kenney, Artist

A few years back, as I approached my fiftieth birthday, I was determined to push beyond my established artistic boundaries to create a project worthy of sharing and hopefully inspiring others.

The Thankful Generations Project allows me to express my gratitude to those in service of our military forces, those who put their lives on the line to secure the freedoms we enjoy every day.

Thankful Generations

Honoring those who have served and sacrificed

Through the unique artistry of beaded tapestries

Maureen Kenney, Artist