Founded in 2017, the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) is a youth education program that bridges artistic expression with activism to advocate for social justice. Through a series of hands-on workshops in schools, prisons and community centers across the country, SJSA empowers youth to use textile art as a vehicle for personal transformation and community cohesion and become agents of social change. Many of SJSA’s young artists make art that explores issues such as gender discrimination, mass incarceration, gun violence and gentrification. The powerful imagery they create in cloth tells their stories, and these quilt blocks are then sent to volunteers around the world to embellish and embroider before being sewn together into quilts to be displayed in museums, galleries and quilt shows across the country. This visual dialogue bridges differences in race, age and socioeconomics and sparks conversations and action in households across the country. More information can be found at sjsacademy.com.
Social Justice Sewing Academy
UCR ARTS presents a selection of quilts made by some of the talented individuals that have participated in Social Justice Sewing Academy’s workshops. The issues they explore are more relevant than ever.
Click each image to hear the artist statement.
Exit Wound
Artist: Audrey Bernier
2018
Click the hotspots to read the words in this quilt and listen to the artist statement below.
Justice Denied
Artist: Kailah Foreman
2018
Click the hotspots to decode the symbolism in this quilt and listen to the artist statement below.
Obama Quilts, 2018
These Obama mini quilts were made with students from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. Recently inspired from Obama’s speech in South Africa on the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth they wanted to create the artistic “vision of equality and justice and freedom and multiracial democracy.” These are blocks honoring a president they all really happen to miss.
Obama, the 44th President
Artist: Audrey Bernier
Embroidery Volunteer: Melinda Newton
Obama portrait (smiling)
Artist: Kailah Foreman
Embroidery Volunteer: Jesi Evans
Obama portrait (thinking)
Artist: Cecilia Charney
Embroidery Volunteer: Kate Godfrey
Hear from Sara Trail, Founder and Executive Director of Social Justice Sewing Academy:
Gallery Views
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences