Thursday, February 9, 2023

Active Repair: Works from the Social Justice Sewing Academy
Community Folk Art Center

Community Folk Art Center
805 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

One cannot think about "repair" without thinking of textile arts: the sewing of a split-open seam, the patching of a fabric hole, the darning of a sock. Founded in 2016, the Social Justice Sewing Academy is motivated by the idea that textile arts can repair more than fabric and clothing — that society can experience a kind of repair by using textile art as a framework for activism. Through more than 300 workshops at schools, juvenile detention centers, and community centers throughout the U.S., SJSA has engaged participants in scaffolded discussions about the current socio-political climate that in turn informs the creation of quilt blocks critiquing an issue plaguing their local and larger communities. These quilt blocks are then sent to volunteers around the world to embellish and embroider before being sewn together into quilts which have been displayed in preeminent arts venues across the country. The Community Folk Art Center is pleased to present a curated selection of quilts from SJSA workshops that have helped people grow as critical thinkers, artists, and advocates.