Newsroom

All content on this site is subject to copyright. By downloading or using these materials (quotes, images, audio and video, screenshots, etc.), I agree to use them for editorial purposes only. Any personal or commercial use of Site content is strictly prohibited with out prior permission from Heather Schulte, project founder and coordinator.

 

About the project

 

“Participating in this collaborative effort helped me feel part of a community, even though we were social distancing and living through lockdown after lockdown.” - Natasha

 

Stitching the Situation is an ongoing, collaborative art project that considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Utilizing the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center database, each case and death reported is embroidered with blue and red threads, one stitch each, respectively. In March 2020, artist Heather Schulte began stitching as a way to grapple with lockdown, then mourn her uncle’s sudden death from COVID in April 2020. It grew into a communal project that summer, when she invited her neighbors to stitch with her, providing space for safe gathering amidst isolation. The first 6 months are represented on three panels, the backbone of community stitching sessions held in Boulder and the Denver metro area (so far). From June 26, 2021, onward, individual kits, which represent each day since, are sent to stitchers directly.

 

Stitching with neighbors, summer 2020.

“People turn to the arts in challenging times, because the arts help us heal, share stories, make meaning, and drive collective action and social change.”

-Ellen

Project Stats

  • Over 450 participants

    Whether one stitch or thousands, each hand that makes a stitch counts. Grandparents, teachers, children, nurses, artists, scientists, grieving family members and friends, COVID long-haulers, students, etc. We’ve all been affected by this pandemic.

  • 48 States

    Participants from 48 states, 2 US territories, one reservation, 3 additional countries, and multiple US armed forces locations overseas, are stitching blocks. We plan to represent each state and territory, and as many indigenous tribes as possible.

  • Over 400 kits (and counting)

    Kits are still being created and mailed to anyone wishing to stitch. All materials to get started are included, and thread is available to those who cannot access it. Spanish instructions and videos are available as well.

  • 30+ community stitching sessions

    From the artist’s front yard to the largest art museum in Colorado, virtual and in person, indoors with masks and social distancing or outdoors in the park. Community stitching sessions help us process this time together.

  • 39 completed blocks (so far)

    There are over 1 million stitches in this project already, and more added every day. Each person stitches at their own pace, and are not required to complete a full block, but stitch what they can, when they can.

  • Funding

    This project has received 3 grants and numerous individual donations to support material costs and language translation. We are fiscally sponsored by the Boulder County Art Alliance.

  • 20+ presentations and discussions

    Heather has been featured on numerous podcasts, discussion panels with other artists working on COVID related projects, and presented the project to a wide variety of organizations working across disciplines. These include: The Stitching Together Network, The University of Florida’s Center for Arts & Medicine, the Museum of Boulder, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, US Department of of Arts, and more.

  • Multiple articles & interviews

    Stitching the Situation has been featured on the Denver 7 news, COVID Calls podcast, the Beyond Better project, Fiber Arts Now magazine, KGNU community radio, and other local news outlets.

  • 7 exhibitions, 4 conferences, with more planned

    Parts of this project have been exhibited at: RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver, CO; The Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, CO; The Holter Museum in Helena MT; the Denver Art Museum; and the Bus Stop Gallery in Boulder, CO. It has also been presented at the American Comparative Literature Conference, HASTAC 2023, The Natural Hazards Workshop, and CO Art Therapy Association Conference.

Media Assets

Click images below for downloadable content.

Logo files

 

Images

Videos (coming soon)

Heather Schulte in her studio

 

Heather Schulte—
Project founder and coordinator
stitchingthesituation[at]gmail[dot]com
Instagram: @stitchingthesituation

Heather Schulte is an interdisciplinary artist based in Colorado and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2003. Her work combines handmade textile materials and techniques with digital fabrication and design processes, analyzing the intersection of personal and public forms of language and communication. Supported by numerous grants and private donations, her community-based projects include Stitching the Situation, a collectively embroidered tapestry in response to COVID-19, and The Denver Principles Flagpole Project, in collaboration with PLWHIV and the CO Health Network.

Schulte has exhibited throughout Colorado, including RedLine Contemporary and the Denver Art Museum, and numerous galleries and contemporary art museums nationally. Press features include the "Surface Design Journal," The Denver Post, WIRED magazine, TheBody.com, various newspapers, podcasts, and independent publications. In 2022 this project received an Arts and Creative Placemaking award from the University of Florida Center for Arts & Medicine.

CV here.