25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee Raising Awareness of the Global Refugee Crisis through Art
Cedarburg, Wis. – Now through July 28, the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts (WMQFA) is pleased to present an art exhibit, unlike any ever seen in the Midwest. 25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee. With contributions from 2,200 stitchers on six continents, 37 nations and all 50 states, this exhibit features 25 million hand-sewn stitches, each representing a single displaced human being, as counted in the UN’s High Commissioner on Refugees 2019 Report.
The exhibition embodies the enormity of the world’s human displacement crisis and creates an intimate understanding of the sacrifices and stories of refugees through expressions of solidarity, community and hope. Conceived, organized, and curated by Jennifer Kim Sohn, a multidisciplinary artist and activist, the 25 million stitches are bound to 407 muslin banners, each 14’ long.
WMQFA is proud to be the only Midwest venue for the exhibition.
Of the project, Sohn says: “What I wanted to do is record the stitches, each one representing one refugee…I had to think about reaching out to the community and invite everybody by making it hand stitching. This [exhibition] needs to be shared, it needs to be seen by everybody in the world. This is a challenge that is not going to go away.”
Even though no single stitch can fully represent an individual, it is the Sohn’s hope that the act of stitching and resulting works of art will bring attention to the scale of the crisis and build community.
The exhibit is both amazing art and a wonderful educational opportunity. WMQFA partnered with Grafton, Nicolet, and Ronald Reagan High Schools and the Cedarburg Public Library on free programs. In June, Sohn will serve as a keynote speaker at the World Affairs
Seminar at Carroll University, where she will address 300–400 high school students from around the world, and then these delegates will take a field trip to the museum to see the exhibition.
WMQFA will also welcome mixed media fiber artist, Noora Badeen for a residency mid-May-mid-June. Badeen, a refugee herself, will create art in the museum’s atrium while also facilitating a participatory weaving project with museum visitors, culminating in an exhibition in the museum’s Micro Gallery.
The museum has also been working with Milwaukee-based Plum Media on a video documentary of the project. The documentary features interviews with museum staff, Sohn, Badeen, and two local Wisconsin stitchers about why they participated in the project. The video is available for viewing, free of charge, on the museum’s website, YouTube Channel, and at WMQFA.
The exhibition and its programming are supported by: Travel Wisconsin (WI Department of Tourism), Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Plum Media, Wisconsin Arts Board with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Hearst Marketing Resources, Port Washington State Bank, Horicon Bank, Associated Bank, Nina & Rich Edelman, Ellie De Lia, and Jack & Judy Hearst.