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A Chronicle Quilt of Outrage and Hope

 

In the summer of 2003, we, a small group of Vermonters, joined by friends from New York and Texas (and a growing number of states) began a project to unite people from across the country in giving voice to our deepest emotions and values about our place in the world.

 

We decided to use the American tradition of the signature or message quilt to chronicle the many daily outrageous policies and actions of the present United States government that erode and offend our ideals of democracy, integrity, fairness, justice, international cooperation, and environmental reverence and protection.  Every day, there are so many challenges to our credulity, so much alarming news, that senses and memory are overwhelmed. 

 

The quilt will serve as an archive, encompassing the years of the Bush II administration, documenting and imprinting realities in order to secure our own memory of these times and also to ensure that the next generation will know our outrage.

 

Because the outrage stems also from optimism and idealism, the quilt will also include statements of faith and hope, of peace and justice. Hope and outrage will be side by side in a bold adaptation of a traditional, common people’s art form.

 

We are soliciting quilt blocks from people throughout the country. The quilt is to be made of 7” muslin blocks, most of which will have messages, written in archival-quality black ink. Contributors will write on “Outrage blocks” the specific actions and policies they decry, and they may express as well their own interpretations.  “Hope blocks” will include poems, prayers, quotations, specific wish lists, etc.  Additionally, contributors may wish to decorate blocks with fabric paint, batik, colored pens (if guaranteed to be waterproof and fade proof), embroidery, or applique, and it may be that some will prefer design-only to words.  We will continue to gather and assemble blocks until May of 2004 when the project will then turn primarily to public presentations.

 

Blocks should be returned to us in Vermont.  Volunteers will border them with beautiful batik prints, hot colors for the outrage block, cool greens and blues for those of hope.  If contributors wish to border their blocks themselves, we ask that they use this same approach, using 2” strips of border material.  The blocks will be assembled into a large single quilt and also into smaller banners, the large one for dramatic effect and the smaller ones for travelling displays.

 

The quilt will serve as political commentary and inspiration to others and, accordingly, we need as much publicity as we can arrange.  As the quilt is in preparation, we’ll use a variety of ways to publicize the project, and pieces of it should go “on tour” as soon as possible. We welcome ideas about publicity and are looking for individuals who would volunteer to organize and implement the outreach.

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS                SOURCES and SAMPLES           CONTACT US