Give your blanket, share your story, and be part of artist Marie Watt’s Blanket Stories installation
The Rockwell Museum and artist Marie Watt invite you to submit a blanket that will become part of a monumental new sculpture at the Museum. Watt is requesting contributions of blankets, quilts, afghans, or blanket-like cloth, in any condition. Drop off your blanket and/or story by February 15, 2017.
The blankets will create a Blanket Stories sculpture — a 14-foot totem of the personal stories and histories of the Steuben County and greater New York community. The sculpture will become a dynamic part of the Museum’s permanent collection. It will also be on view as part of an upcoming exhibition ‘Western Door’, which opens May 5, 2017.
What is a blanket story? Artist Marie Watt explains:
“Blankets are everyday objects. We take them for granted, yet as we use them, they quietly record our histories: a lumpy shape, a worn binding, mended patches. Every blanket holds a story. In the secondhand and thrift-store blankets I use in much of my work, I can only guess at the story. But when I can work with contributed blankets, I ask each contributor to record the blanket’s story (or the contributor’s story as it relates to the blanket) on a tag. These stories remain with the blankets in their installations, and are also transcribed and collected, so that others can share them.”
How to Participate
- Bring a blanket and drop it off to The Rockwell Museum by February 15, 2017 (new deadline!). Blankets, quilts, afghans, or blanket-like cloth, in any condition, will be accepted.
- Write the story of your blanket on the provided tag (pick up tags at The Rockwell) – the tag will be attached to your blanket and become part of the installation as well.
- If your blanket is too treasured to part with, no problem! Please submit just the story of the blanket on the provided tags – it will be attached to a “proxy” blanket in the installation.
- In exchange for your contribution, you will receive a small, limited-edition screen print by Marie Watt.
- Your blanket will be stacked among the others blankets to create a skyward-reaching community Blanket Story column for the exhibition opening May 5, 2017.