Benevolence Farm is proud to be the inaugural site for the inclusive public arts display, Stitching Stories Reimagined.
Stitching Stories Reimagined is a retelling of Stitching Stories: A Prison Awareness Quilt that was crocheted at the minimum-security Canary Unit of the North Carolina Corrections Institution for Women by members of the H.A.T.S. (Handcrafted and Totally Special) group during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 25-foot quilt they created was completed just before Mother’s Day 2021. On that day, the 62 women at the Unit whose stories were woven into the quilt were invited to tie the ribbons and bows on each other’s squares.
In 2023, Arise Collective was awarded a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds and Mellon Foundations to bring the original quilt to life as a 30-foot-long inclusive public art project. Designed for travel and permanent installation, this public art piece recreates the quilt’s stories using a mosaic wall, an opposing mirror wall, and a vinyl wrap. Each square in the mosaic reflects one year of time served, highlighted with ribbons representing each woman’s struggles with addiction, domestic violence, sexual assault, mental health, COVID-19, children left behind, and the death of a loved one. Four local artists were commissioned to create this public art.
After November 22, the exhibit will be hosted by The Caraway Foundation in Anson County, the Ministry of Hope in Black Mountain, and the Public Library in High Point, NC. The art will find its final resting place at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, sponsored by Raleigh Arts. Additionally, as a part of the grant, PBS-NC is creating a segment about the creation of this art that features three of the four original crochet artists who are free, as well as the four public artists.
The public are invited to witness this work of art at Benevolence Farm until November 22, 2025.
E-mail info@benevolencefarm.org to make an appointment or sign up for a Wednesday Farm Tour here.
Caption: A large shipping container with the words “Stitching Stories Reimagined” sits on the front lawn of Benevolence Farm with trees in the background
