E Pluribus Unum / 2009

Collaboration with Rachel Moore

E Pluribus Unum began as a public activity of resourcefulness, commitment, and a desire to contribute. Merging environmental and social awareness, we turned our interest in reusing and repurposing material destined to be refuse into an act of compassion.

Inviting the public to donate fabric scraps and time through Obama’s National Call to Service (www.usaservice.org), we shared the skill of sewing and utilized the open resourcefulness of many people working together toward a common goal. The patchwork of fabrics from many donations into single quilts resulted in gifts given to local homeless families as they began new lives in transitional housing. The quilt simultaneously serves as a utilitarian object, a symbol of home beyond physical space, and a gesture of belonging to a community.