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New Quilt Museum Exhibit Shows Struggle Turned to Art in Tallgirl Series: A Body of Work

Greg Gardea Photography/www.live2dye.com

          At 13 years old, Carol Larson stood at 6 feet and 6.5 inches. Due to surgically shortening her legs at an attempt at 'normalcy,' Larson faced challenges every day of her life, which she then translated into various art forms -- one of which has found a new home in Paducah's National Quilt Museum. 

      In 1965, 6'6 1/2" tall Carol Larson, along with her mother, pursued a surgical procedure which would remove 6 inches of bone from Carol's legs. Larson's mother was concerned at her daughter's ability to live a normal life at her natural height, and although some doctors considered it crazy, one finally agreed to go through with the operation. This surgery would present Larson with challenges throughout the rest of her life, including a year-long recovery in a wheelchair and walking abnormalities once she was upright again. 
         Larson turned to art as a way to work through the understanding, grieving, and acceptance of her debilitating journey. Because she often had to sew her own clothes in order to get the right size, Larson has had a long history working with textiles. Upon retiring at 50, Larson turned to quilt making as a new creative outlet. She began incorporating the emotional and physical pain she had all but ignored into her artwork in her multimedia exhibit, Tallgirl Series: A Body of Work, which consists of 15-23 textile art pieces, a self-published book, and a a PowerPoint presentation. 
           Tracy Ross invited Larson to Sounds Good to discuss her artwork, its new home in Paducah's Quilt Museum, and the arduous journey towards finding peace within herself. More information on Carol Larson and her artwork are available on her website.
         

Tracy started working for WKMS in 1994 while attending Murray State University. After receiving his Bachelors and Masters degrees from MSU he was hired as Operations/Web/Sports Director in 2000. Tracy hosted All Things Considered from 2004-2012 and has served as host/producer of several music shows including Cafe Jazz, and Jazz Horizons. In 2001, Tracy revived Beyond The Edge, a legacy alternative music program that had been on hiatus for several years. Tracy was named Program Director in 2011 and created the midday music and conversation program Sounds Good in 2012 which he hosts Monday-Thursday. Tracy lives in Murray with his wife, son and daughter.
Melanie Davis-McAfee graduated from Murray State University in 2018 with a BA in Music Business. She has been working for WKMS as a Music and Operations Assistant since 2017. Melanie hosts the late-night alternative show Alien Lanes, Fridays at 11 pm with co-host Tim Peyton. She also produces Rick Nance's Kitchen Sink and Datebook and writes Sounds Good stories for the web.
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