Nino
this quilt was pieced at a queer youth mixer held at Bioneers Conference 2022 and later quilted in my backyard
each fabric color corresponds to a prompt that workshop participants were invited to explore
in purple, they shared what tools they've sharpened for thier own survival
in green, they asked what aches for water in the garden of their lives
in white, they placed their queer ancestors and teachers on an altar
in gold, they explored quilts as maps, tracing home and their arrival to self
The quilt was then raffled for THIRST 2022 (thirstforhumanity.com) which raised money for three organizations supporting people crossing the southern border of the so-called US. The three orgs were: No Mas Muertes / No More Deaths, The Florence Immigration Project and Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network. It ended up with Nino and dovetails with the Transmissions (quilts for trans people) project.
The orange / yellow patches were block printed and gifted to alongside raffle tickets. The text is from a cameron awkward-rich poem titled "meditations in an emergency"
meditations in an emergency by cameron awkward-rich
I wake up & it breaks my heart. I draw the blinds & the thrill of rain breaks my heart. I go outside. I ride the train, walk among the buildings, men in Monday suits. The flight of doves, the city of tents beneath the underpass, the huddled mass, old women hawking roses, & children all of them, break my heart. There’s a dream I have in which I love the world. I run from end to end like fingers through her hair. There are no borders, only wind. Like you, I was born. Like you, I was raised in the institution of dreaming. Hand on my heart. Hand on my stupid heart.