Hi, I'm Mollie! I am a textile artist who works primarily in secondhand and upcycled fabrics. I believe that bringing together old pieces of fabric into a new work gives them new life. Likewise, bringing together our own stories with the stories of others enriches our world and makes it more beautiful. Through our connections with one another, we are constantly unfolding new depth and meaning in the world.

I'm creating an art installation &

I need your HELP.

Tell Me How!

I'm Ready to Submit

This summer, I’ll be taking on the role of Creative Director and Resident Artist at the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Louisville, KY. The theme for the Assembly this year is “Kindom of God Within Us, Among Us.”

As one of five Resident Artists, I will create a participatory art installation that explores this theme and ushers viewers into contemplation.

My installation will be centered around the words “gather” and “remember.” These words are central to my work as an artist. I gather supplies from many places, favoring the use of fabrics that have lived previous lives as something else. I see the use of these items as a type of remembrance, grateful to those who have previously used them and passed them on. Perhaps most importantly, I remember the many craftspeople who have come before me, developing, shaping, and teaching the techniques I use today, infused with their own cultural and artistic sensibilities. In this way, the words “gather” and “remember” encapsulate my relationship to countless others throughout time and space, all a part of the kindom of God.

my VISION

My vision is to gather submissions of textiles (clothes, household items, etc.) and accompanying recorded memories of these items. I will incorporate both fabric and written memory into an installation of collaged textile art that represents the interconnectedness of our stories in the kin-dom of God. These textiles from people all over—many of whom will never meet one another—will come together into one work of art. By incorporating submitters’ stories and experiences, this piece will celebrate our kinship with one another, grieve the pain we carry, and lament the ways we are isolated and separate from one another.

The fabric pieces themselves will be deconstructed and reconstructed into a large quilt-like piece. The handwritten snippets of memory will be incorporated in the installation as well, either in their paper form or digitally transposed. The installation will continue to grow as it is being viewed, as I will invite viewers to add their own fabric, write memories of their own, or contemplatively stitch colorful threads into the piece.

TEXTILES

Any piece of fabric (that you're willing to part with) that has belonged either to you or to someone else in your life.

This could be an article of clothing, a pillowcase, a kitchen towel, a sock, a tablecloth, a tote bag, a pillow, a handkerchief, a tie, a cleaning rag... ANYTHING that is made out of some kind of fabric.

MEMORIES

A short handwritten note about a memory associated with this item or its owner. This should be written on one side only of a piece of paper. The paper can be anything you have: a notecard, a sticky note, a torn page from a journal, part of a paper bag, etc. These memories you share may be joyful, painful, or anywhere in between. Submitter names will not be shared in the installation.

Here's where you come in! I am GATHERING:

howto

submission EXAMPLES.

Here are some examples of what your submission could look like. These items will be taken apart and sewn together with others to create the installation piece.