Melissa Sarris
Embroidery Project
Making the invisible voices of the incarcerated visible with their own words, in their own handwriting. Letting their potential and humanity shine.
Moses adding his rose to the word Compassion during the opening of Dislocations.
Embroidery wall at the beginning of the opening of Dislocations. Check back to see the wall expand with new connections.
This project is ongoing but was fledged with an exhibition I co-organized with artist Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge. Our exhibition, Dislocations: artists respond to mass incarceration is at Collar Works Gallery in Troy, NY. Through the amazing support of Up-Stitch in Albany, NY, I was given all the embroidery materials needed for free and connected to many talented and interested stitchers.
I collaborated with other activists working in prisons in New York State. Men from Green Haven Correctional facility were asked to respond to questions about how they see themselves and to allow the outside world to see their humanity and potential. I took their hand written responses and enlarged and printed them on linen fabric. With the help of an ad-hoc embroidery community I connected to through Up-Stitch, the men's thoughts were made visible.
The public is welcome to embroider all or a portion of a word and then leave a bit of embroidery floss at the end. Participants pin this thread to the wall and add the town they are from to be recognized for their stitiching. The public is welcome to add to this project through the run of Dislocations July 14.
Next workshop date: Sunday July 29 at Spencertown Academy in Spencertown NY. My work will be part of an exhibition called: They Made the Cut, opening July 21 .Please check their website for details.
Clothe napkins I made for the Dinner + Dialog event as part of our Dislocations Show. For each napkin I hand embroidered an emotion word from a list created with men and women incarcerated at the Columbia County Jail. BitterSweet project, 2018. Hand dyed cottons/silks, 30 in all.
