This is the square that came from the Social Justice Sewing Academy @sjsacademy. It is an organization dedicated to empowering young artists.
"A youth education program that bridges artistic expression with activism to advocate for social justice. Through a series of hands-on workshops in schools, prisons & community centers across the country, SJSA empowers youth to use textile art as a vehicle for personal transformation & community cohesion and become agents of social change. Many of our young artists make art that explores issues such as gender discrimination, mass incarceration, gun violence & gentrification. The powerful imagery they create in cloth tells their stories, & these quilt blocks are then sent to volunteers around the world to embellish & embroider before being sewn together into quilts to be displayed in museums, galleries and quilt shows across the country. This visual dialogue bridges differences in race, age & socioeconomics & sparks conversations & action in households across the country."
Click HERE to listen to an interview with the rock star young woman who founded the organization and one of the students.
I had thought this would be an easy thing to do, the kind of thing I've done with hundreds of students over the years.
The first step was to secure the edges of the pieces, easy enough. But then, what? This square came with no instructions from the artist. Not knowing them, or their intentions has thrown me. At school, I was able to have conversations with the students- hear their thoughts, have them pick colors, etc.
Wanting to respect and keep with the artist's vision, I emailed the organization, and was told to feel free to do whatever I thought. My thoughts were panicked.
"What if I get it wrong? What if they don't recognize their own creation? What if I'm somehow silencing or not seeing their truth?"
I think too much, I know...holding my breath and hope, and continuing on...
