Banners add color to Chapel
Like so many beautiful things in life, Pamela Hardiman’s work came to be because of something that wasn’t working quite right.
A quilt-maker at the time, she was creating a quilt she wanted to call Fire and Ice. The fire part was great, but putting it together with ice? Well, it just wasn’t happening. So she took that fire piece and made a hanging for the Newman Catholic Center at the University of Massachusetts. 
And then she made another. And another. And another.
Today, decades later, Pamela is a liturgical fiber artist. Four of her latest pieces now hang in the St. Paul Chapel. She calls them celebration banners – blue, red, green, purple.
They are gorgeous – flowing down, moving from the ceiling, adding color and texture to the space.
“It is just so interesting working with fabrics and putting them together in different ways,” said Pamela, who lives in Connecticut. “It just never gets old.”
The fabrics she uses vary – cotton, silk, some shiny, some wool. She likes to use natural materials as much as possible, materials that come from all over the world. Whenever she travels, one of her favorite things to do is to stop at the local fabric store.
A number of sewing machines keep projects moving, as does her extensive collection of fabric. Her education is extensive – with a master’s degree in statistics and mathematics, and a PhD in cognitive psychology.
Why does she create? Pamela believes an attentiveness to the worship environment can help people live and pray more deeply.
“Spirituality is such an important part of life,” she said. “There are a million different reasons not to go to church, and there is one reason to go. The more that I can help people to feel at home, feel drawn to a place…that is what my vocation is.”
To learn more about Pamela, visit pthardiman.com.
Georgeann Kreiter
I’m so pleased to have some information on these lovely hangings. (I’ve been curious) They not only add color but a little bit of warmth to the space. They are so nicely done.