Mermaids

I am excited about my latest challenge. I received an email from a fellow textile artist about a juried show taking place in Charleston, South Carolina. The theme is Black Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore. I have to admit that my only knowledge or experience with mermaids up until now has been what I hear from my granddaughters and from the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid". I read Hans Christians Anderson when I was a child and saw the ballet "Ondine" a long time ago but I never considered it for an art expression. The call is for quilts or quilted wallhangings and cloth dolls that portray the image of Black mermaids. There are legends and folktales about African and Caribbean mermaids during the era of slave trading. They were said to have rescued slaves who were thrown from the slave ships into the sea. I really would like to submit an entry for this art show. The exhibit will be at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in South Carolina. So, I'm currently in research mode. I am reading and looking at as many images of mermaids that I can find. I will keep you posted on my progress. I am looking forward to this great summer journey.