In Fall 2021, I was the artist-in-residence for Festival Unbound in Pennsylvania, an amazing community performing arts festival. There, together with the public, we created “Gratitude Quilt,” which provided a continuity thread throughout the festival of public participation/engagement. At each of the festival’s 5 days of events we co-created a community quilt using painted tyvek, grommets and zip ties. At the end of the festival we celebrated the unveiling of our community quilt. The quilt was a nomadic work, weighing under 40 pounds and ws easy to transport and display. Working with colleagues in a collaborative, engaged way was both inspiration and a torch for future projects. The purpose of the quilt was to bring all components of the festival together symbolically and physically through co-creating, community connection and collaboration.
