(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) has announced Interwoven Stories: The Final Chapter, the return of the popular community stitching project created by artist/activist Diana Weymar.
Weymar facilitated Interwoven Stories as the Arts Council’s 2016 Artist-in-Residence, creating a special dialogue within the Princeton community. With some participants picking up a needle and thread for the first time, each stitcher received a blank fabric page to tell a story through their memories, honor beloved family or friends, or return home to a favorite place through needle and thread.
The response to this project exceeded organizers’ wildest expectations. Each page spoke to the generosity, diversity, spirit, commitment, and creativity of the community and ultimately, more than 100 completed pages were donated to Interwoven Stories 2016 and displayed in the Arts Council’s Taplin Gallery to mark the culmination of her residency.
In 2018, the project was expanded and dubbed Interwoven Stories International, the result of Weymar taking the project on the road for two years to curate more than 250 pieces collected from the original Princeton project, plus pages from The Peddie School, the Nantucket Stitching Gam, the Zen Hospice Project (San Francisco), Open Space Art (Damascus, Syria), Build Peace (Columbia), the University of Puget Sound (Tacoma), Yarns/NoDominion Theater (Jersey City), and Trans Tipping Point Project (Victoria, BC).
This 2022 iteration is an opportunity for past participants to revisit their previous works and invite new stitchers to get involved. In fact, the Arts Council shares that Interwoven Stories: The Final Chapter has gone national, culminating in an exhibition on view in the ACP Taplin Gallery from June 4 through July 2, 2022.
Local resident and past Interwoven Stories participant Kyle Burkhardt joins the Interwoven Stories team as Community Liaison, organizing behind the scenes and leading stitching workshops for those who need help or just want to stitch with others. Weymar herself, after gaining tremendous popularity nationwide with her Tiny Pricks Project, will return for select workshops and Opening Reception, scheduled for June 4, 2022.
Blank fabric pages are available now for local pick-up or domestic shipping for a donation of $15 or $20, respectively. Participants are also welcome to sew their own page by following a video tutorial available on the Arts Council’s website. Registration is required – visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.
“I am thrilled to return to the Princeton community with a final instalment with Interwoven Stories”, shares Weymar. “After two earlier exhibits of the project and over a year of community engagement during the creation of the pages, it seemed important to circle back after the pandemic. If it was important to remember and create before, it is even more important now. The project has always been about capturing a moment in time and this gives us all a chance to check in with each other and ourselves through a hand craft and community."
Diana Weymar is the creator and curator of Tiny Pricks Project in addition to Interwoven Stories and several other public art projects. She has exhibited her projects internationally in addition to daily posting of work on the @tinypricksproject Instagram account. The Tiny Pricks Project physical collection is over 5,000 pieces. In addition to collaborating with writers, artists, journalists, photographers, and politicians, Diana has worked with non-profits on a variety of humanitarian issues.
Lifelong maker Kyle Dana Burkhardt has sewn her own clothing and bags for years. Intrigued by the charm and portability of hand embroidery, she stitched her first kit seven years ago and has been hooked ever since. Kyle embroidered a page for Interwoven Stories International and a collection of kits she stitched were exhibited at the Princeton Public Library. A New Jersey native, Kyle has worked at Princeton University for over 15 years.
