FOCUS IN

Jennifer Kim Sohn

The world is in flight. Twenty-five million people across the globe have been forced to flee their homelands because of genocide, war, poverty, natural disasters, targeted violence, and other threats. They leave behind everything they’ve known and possessed; they face immense struggles, misfortunes, and perils on their journey; and, through it all, survival and resettlement remains but the slimmest hope.

One Stitch, One Refugee
How does making 25 million stitches help refugees? We believe this project is a way for us to engage with this global crisis instead of ignoring it. And even though no single stitch can fully represent an individual, the act of stitching and the resulting work will bring attention to the scale of the crisis. Two objectives of the project are:

• to engage as many people as possible to raise awareness of the global refugee crisis by sharing our collective hand-sewn panels.
• to amass 25 million stitches to visually represent the astronomical number of refugees.

25 Million Stitches brings awareness to the immensity of the refugee crisis through a single fiber arts display.

The Project
25 Million Stitches brings awareness to the immensity of the refugee crisis through a single fiber arts display. Twenty-five million stitches is a BIG number, and it requires a lot of hands! Have your students, friends, or sewing circle join our community. We have participants from forty-one states as well as Central America, Canada, Spain, England, Lithuania, England, New Zealand, and Australia.

Sewing circles can be as small as three people or large enough to accommodate a school or community group, and can be recurring or single-day events.

Practical Matters
We ask that participants make collaborative vertical panels in one of three sizes: 15 x 62" (40 x 180 cm), 15 x 35" (40 x 90 cm), or 15 x 17" (40 x 55 cm).

Please use locally sourced and recycled fabric when possible. Sustainable practices help slow down escalating climate change. Extreme weather caused by climate change is one of the biggest reasons people across the globe are forced to flee their homes.

Use cotton, linen, or other fabric with some stiffness for easy stitching. Light colors and subtle patterns on recycled fabric are acceptable. Please focus your design on the stitches rather than the fabricʼs color and texture. Big stitches are fine. You don’t need to hem the edges of the panels, but feel free to knot the end of threads or leave them hanging.

Spread the Word
Share stories, images, and videos from your stitching event through 25millionstitches@gmail.com. Write to your local museums and media and describe your experience participating in an art activism project.

Use our website to explain the project and why you would like the show to exhibit at your local museum. Include images of your panels. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook using #25millionstitches.

Exhibition
For the initial installation, we will hang 1,500 panels, most combined into one long flag of three to four panels. Our primary focus is to achieve the 25 Million Stitches, a goal we have reached. We anticipate subsequent installations to travel for three to four years to U.S. border states, and even overseas, and welcome additional panels. For more information on how to participate, visit 25millionstitches.com.

Jennifer Kim Sohn is the creator of 25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee.
jenniferkimsohn.com