What Happened at the Fuller, Did Not Stay at the Fuller
Dear Welcome Blanket Community,
First, thank you! This is a huge crowd-sourced artistic action that would not be possible without you. (And if you are thinking of joining in, we need you!)
Welcome Blanket is about crafting the world we wish to see.
Welcome Blanket reimagines the 2000 mile distance of the proposed border wall between Mexico and the United States as 2000 miles of yarn to make Welcome Blanket gifts for refugees and other new immigrants coming to the US. With each blanket, we ask the maker/s for a story important to her family about immigration, migration, or relocation and words of welcome for our newest neighbors. These beautiful gifts are sent to a host to be displayed together to make a powerful visual and physical statement. Then, after the close of the exhibition, they are distributed through our refugee resettlement partners to their final homes.
In our first go around with our inaugural host, the Smart Museum of Art at University of Chicago, we reached the goal. But do we keep going, yes! It is my dream to make Welcome Blanket an American tradition.
Welcome Blanket at Fuller Craft, our third host!
So, this past winter we teamed up with our wonderful hosts, Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts. One of the organizations that we partnered with to give these gorgeous gifts is ACE, African Community Education in Worchester, Massachusetts. Their students come from many nations across Africa, and the organization is focused on helping them achieve their goals. There are formal classes, tutoring, arts opportunities, family outreach and more.
THE BEST EMAIL
Tim O’Neil, the marketing and fundraising manager at ACE sent this email and with his permission I am sharing it with you:
Hello, Jayna!
I am the Marketing & Fundraising Manager for African Community Education, one of the recipients of Welcome Blankets on behalf of your partnership with the Fuller Craft Museum. I wanted to reach out with a giant THANK YOU for your work in making ACE a part of the Welcome Blanket Project.
Our staff was nearly in tears when they arrived at our office. We delivered the blankets to our families this Saturday, and the smiles were uncontrollable! Please see the attached pictures and also the links below for posts on our social media accounts:
https://www.facebook.com/aceworcester/posts/2683975374952903
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwASZTBHvOz/
https://twitter.com/aceworcester/status/1115321178820890629
This project is so inspiring, impactful, and needed. Thank you for all you do!
Best,
Tim
(Did you tear up, too? I did) Take a look at the image below. The snuggle is real!
In the midst of everything happening in the immigration space, it is amazing to support organizations helping our newest neighbors thrive and connecting with our newest neighbors. Welcome Blanket is a proactive, creative and physical way to support immigrants. It is literally “doing something,” and it is doing something powerful and kind. Let’s keep going!
In solidarity and love,
Jayna
And here are a few more images from ACE:
