A Potter, a Weaver, and a Pandemic

End Up with Their Art and an Epic Story

Our Epic Story

On January 16, 2020, Cheryl, a weaver, and Paul, a potter, Molesky, left the USA for their dream vacation in Tokyo, Japan. The planned destinations were a cruise through Asia onboard the Diamond Princess and a train journey through Japan. Events took an extraordinary turn when, on February 5th, the captain of the Diamond Princess announced that passengers could not disembark, but were quarantined due to the coronavirus.

This was the beginning of not one, but two official quarantines, the second on Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, USA. After returning home to Syracuse, New York, shelter in place, or home quarantine, became the new normal. How do we survive all this chaos? We’ll make art! It’s the way we see the world clearly and make sense of events. Talking about the pandemic, documenting it, and making art is like… all we can do right now.

Cheryl Molesky, Weaver, Spinner, Contemporary Textiles

Cheryl's Contemporary Textiles
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The Lady of the Forest
Floral Forms bright spring colors woven into a darker background..jpg
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Floral Forms
Weeping Willow Wall Hanging extreme hand spun yarns on a monotone tapestry background.jpg
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Weeping Willow
Floating Forest detail tassels.jpg
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Floating Forest
Cascade wall hanging with art yarns detail of botom section.jpg
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Cascade
I've got your back blue jean leg with art yarn tapestry Sracuse NY.jpg
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I've Got Your Back
Zip It, Lock It, Put it in your Pocket detail of coiled zippers.jpg
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Zip It, Lock It, Put It in Your Pocket
A leg up Blue jean wall hanging fringe detail.jpg
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A Leg Up
Tapestry Texture fiber art with art yarn embroidary Syracuse NY.jpg
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Tapestry Texture
Shades of Gray Fiber Art weaving Syracuse NY detail 1.jpg
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Shades of Gray

Paul Molesky, Potter, Sculptor, Collage Artist

Cheryl and Paul’s Art Work Inspired by the Pandemic

 

In the news all over the world!

It was quite surprising to find ourselves on the Diamond Princess in the center of this surreal media frenzy. This was the story, at the beginning of the pandemic, that made the coronavirus real to many people. We were interviewed and our photos published by news organizations all over the world.

Click on the pictures below for some of the news stories.

Paul is tested for coronavirus in our cabin on the Diamond Princess.
Coronavirus Infections Skyrocket on Cruise Ship in Japan DW News
A short cut from an interview that aired on BBC World News America on March 2, 2020
Diamond Princess passengers in quarantine say they’d ‘absolutely’ take another cruise
New York Couple See the Bright Side of Coronavirus Quarantine NBC News
Syracuse Couple Among Those on Quarantined Cruise Ship Set to Return to U.S.
CNY Couple Quarantined at Lackland Air Force Base Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Coronavirus; the moment two Americans leave the ship after two weeks in quarantine ITV News
Coronavirus Crisis Deepens as Chinese Quarantine Squads Crack Down Today Show
CNY Couple from Cruise Still in Texas After Quarantine and Testing Negative for Coronavirus
T. O Native Living Life Under Quarantine
Coronavirus: 'The positive things we learnt from quarantine'
Syracuse Couple Quarantined in Japan Returning Home
Syracuse Couple Quarantined on Cruise Ship as Coronavirus Spreads
What’s life like in a coronavirus quarantine? CNY couple share lows, highs of a month locked up
Checking in: Syracuse couple continuing to navigate life amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Only on NewsChannel 9: The Molesky’s arrive back in CNY after 28 days in quarantine.jpeg
Just hours from leaving for home, Texas extends quarantine for CNY couples
Central New York family in quarantine test negative for coronavirus
From Japan to Texas, a CNY family held in 2nd quarantine
Family on quarantined cruise to be flown to the US
U.S. Embassy: Americans aboard quarantined ship to fly home
Another Central New York couple quarantined aboard cruise ship in Japan
Americans who left cruise trade one quarantine for another
American cruise passengers quarantined at US military bases
Syracuse couple among thousands quarantined on cruise ship in Japan; ‘It’s not going to keep us healthy by worrying’
Fear, boredom, adventure fill each day on quarantined ship

Technology Kept Us in Touch with the Outside World

Our YouTube channel, that started out as a way to communicate with our family and friends while on the Diamond Princess, turned into a beautiful thing, with strangers wishing strangers well around the world. The comments from many people were a source of strength and inspiration for us.

Video thumbnails from our YouTube Channel.jpeg

Follow Us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook

18 yards of fun! Two thick and thin handspun yarns plied together. One yarn is simple and plain. The other yarn is autowrapped with ribbon and colorful singles. The result=fun+beautiful. #yarndyeing #handspinning #handspinnersofinstagram #handspuny
Enjoying the sunshine and some socially distant spinning with @goldenfleeceguild. It felt great to talk safely, outside with people besides my usual bubble. Others in the guild met by Zoom. I learn so much by talking with my fiber friends! Today I'm
Change is so scarce during this pandemic I had trouble finding a quarter for scale in this photo! Paul and I cashed in all our change to a store begging for coins. I spun 60+ yards of this yarn in McKeever, New York in the Adirondacks. I'm so inspire
This is my dream come true! Spending time spinning and enjoying this beautiful place in the Adirondacks. No worries about masks and social distancing. We met some nice people and spoke to them from a distance. The colors in these singles are inspired
Inspired by my friend Sam Bova @sam.bova, I gathered some goldenrod in the Adirondacks, on a bright sunny day. What a lovely get away from COVID worries! No social distance to worry about. This is some fluffy, corespun wool yarn dyed with the product
Connections #1 One of my first fiber art passions was basket weaving where I used dyed rattan reed. I was inspired to weave this material combined with a cotton warp on a floor loom. This non-traditional use of materials created the fabric of my pa
Oh, happy day. I got a wool shipment today. Lovely! What would we do without the post office and UPS? Thank heavens those things continued on during the pandemic! Thank you delivery people! #yarndyeing #handspinning #handspinnersofinstagram #handspun
Past Connections One of my first fiber art passions was basket weaving where I used dyed rattan reed. I was inspired to weave this material combined with a cotton warp on a floor loom. This non-traditional use of materials created the fabric of my
The Beauty Smile 19 From The Beauty and The Horror Diptych During our two quarantines aboard the Diamond Princess and at the Lackland Air Force Base we experienced times of beauty and horror. Our YouTube channel, that started out as a way to communic
 

We believe Our Epic Story is historical and important to document. Rather than write and market, a book, this website is a multimedia way to tell our story. The photos, text, and videos are an important part of the narrative and hard to publish in book form. The plan, which may take a number of months, is to post the daily events starting with the beginning in Tokyo and continuing to life in Syracuse, NY during the pandemic. All this content is free to everyone who visits our page. If you'd like to help support the effort of maintaining this site, please buy our artwork or donate. Thank you from Cheryl and Paul