25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee, launched in 2019, is an audacious vision: a global, participatory art project that addresses the vast crisis of human displacement. In contrast to the magnitude of the project, the concept was simple…stitching, one stitch for each refugee. The resulting 25,000,000 hand sewn stitches from participants around the globe provide a beautifully resonant expression of art/activism that raises awareness for the immense scope of people forcibly displaced from their homelands by violence and natural disasters. I believe this installation connects to the audience on many levels. The embroidered panels provide a visual representation of the enormity of the global human displacement crisis. Both individual and the overall collection of panels have opened the hearts of the stitchers and viewers alike. The time commitment apparent in each panel reminds many viewers to stay engaged with the pressing issues that contribute to the refugee crisis. Consequently, this collection of work has the potential to speak to a much larger audience and build a more intimate understanding of the challenges refugees face that cross the borders of nations, politics, and cultures.
Our pressing goal is to continue to get the word out about this global situation. To do this we are working to assure that the show will travel to other venues across the nation. We believe that this will bring awareness, empathy, and aid to refugees in a way that words alone cannot. Our first installation, which opened on June 12, 2021, in Sacramento, California, has already reached over 50,000 people in less than one month, thanks to our volunteer team’s efforts on social media and engaging with news outlets. Though our achievement in stitching has been monumental, our mission of raising awareness has just begun.