Client: Hudson River Museum

Overview

The View Outside Community Stitch Project was completed during the Teaching Artist in Residence program of 2023.

The Palisades just outside the museum’s windows was the subject of an artwork created from single use plastic collected and stitched by the community which visits the museum.

This artwork brings attention not only to the beauty of the American natural landscape and all its traditions, but also to the fact of all that needs to be done to protect it and reverse the damage already done.

Goals

Draw attention to what is happening all around us, yet goes unnoticed in our busy daily lives. Create an artwork depicting the beauty of the Palisades just across the river, but make it from trash, mostly single-use plastic which is what is polluting and causing devastation in our rivers, oceans and landscape.

Process

Throughout the making of the artwork, participants and staff were encouraged to collect single-use plastic and other waste materials from their homes and bring them to the education center so they can be used in the artwork and other workshops.

During the first weekend we cut up our materials and collaged and pinned together the different portions of the artwork.

On the second weekend we started stitching the artwork, attaching all the pinned parts together. It was the modern day version of a quilting bee except that we stitched together soft plastic, not fabric.

On the third weekend we continued stitching various parts of the artwork together and this time also adding various decorative stitches to enhance the details.

On the fourth and final weekend we finished the edges of the art and added any needed final details.