In
response to the 45th president of USA regarding the building of a wall
at the border with Mexico, Jayna Zweiman, Los Angeles-based designer and
artist, "... developed Welcome Blanket to inspire creative and critical responses to current issues around immigration, cultural displacement, and
geographic relocation... Representing the distance of the wall in
lengths of yarn, participants across the United States will create lap
blankets and accompanying notes of welcome for new immigrants as well as
for refugees seeking resettlement, a craft based response to the
current administration's policies..." The galleries at the Smart Museum serve "as a receiving station where blankets are sorted, and exhibited..." until they are given away.Over the weekend I dropped my blanket and I also worked for two hours entering the immigration stories and messages people sent with their blankets. Arduous work, tiring on my eyes but very rewarding to read the stories of immigrants from all over the country.
I truly love this kind of participatory communal artistic activism- it speaks of me as an artist and it also reflects my Mennonite background (my parents were Mennonites). Participating in the project was a total enjoyment. Here is my blanket. A 40"x40" crocheted yarn that I called "Mandala Blanket"
I chose strong, bold, vibrant colors (characteristic of my paintings in general) as to represent the vibrant, powerful energy of the Latino culture. If you look closely, you will notice that the entire blanket is made of circular (mandala) shapes- symbol of wholeness, unity, and completeness. I also incorporated triangles shapes symbolizing the body-mind-spirit connection.
The "Welcome Blanket" will feature a series of public programs bringing together artists, activists, and academics to discuss the important issues embedded in this project and "... and explore opportunities for response and action."
You can find a"Welcome Blanket" FB page, and also in Instagram to get updated information.
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