"Tiny Quilt Number 39," Made by Zak Foster, 2021

Zak Foster, a textile artist who identifies as gay, stitched metal squares--the remains of votive candles--to black fabric to create this tiny quilt. Foster received these squares from artist Patti Shaw, who sees the scraps as the remnants of people's prayers. Foster--whose quilts are designed with emotional qualities in mind--uses found materials, an aesthetic choice that also reclaims usable materials.