The Women’s Woven Voices tapestry, with its bright colors and deep red fringe, sparked curiosity and interest at the HGA Convergence in Knoxville this past July. “I saw the tapestry and almost cried. It is so beautiful,” a woman familiar with the project shared with me.
The Women’s Woven Voices project is a collaborative, international art project that supports women through writing, weaving, and sharing their stories. I invite women to reflect on their strengths and claim their powerful voice, then weave their story into cloth. Each “story cloth” is an expression of one person’s life experiences woven in the colors, textures, and patterns of their choice. I stitch the story cloths together to create a meaningful new collective art cloth.
I first conceived of the project during a women’s conference when I heard several speakers bravely address the prevalence of sexual abuse while sharing their life stories. I was at a point in my artistic career where I wanted to make art that amplified my passion for supporting women as change makers. I decided on a simple weaving method to create a collaborative story tapestry on an international scale with a goal of promoting creativity, connection, and mutual respect for all. I knew that weaving would offer participants a way to express themselves through art and create a powerful visual component to the current movement of women standing up to gender violence.
One small segment of the tapestry. Photo by Brecia Kralovic-Logan
Sharing the project at Convergence was a dream come true. My original goal has been met—a collaborative weaving that includes more than 1,000 individually woven story cloths from participants across the United States, Afghanistan, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Iran, Iraq, Germany, Northern Ireland, and Syria.
Over the past 5 years, I have given out thousands of free loom kits and provided tutorial videos and resources on my website. I have held workshops for university students, women’s groups, art organizations, teen groups, veterans, refugee moms, and community gatherings. I have partnered with the Charter for Compassion, SARAH4Hope, The San Diego Women Veterans Network, Front Porch Gallery, Visions Art Museum, CSW NGO, The Conscious Leadership Academy at the University of San Diego, and chapters of the American Association of University Women. As the tapestry grew, it was displayed at women’s conferences, schools, museums, churches, galleries, community events, at the United Nations 65th Commission on the Status of Women NGO forum online, and at HGA Convergence.
Brecia Kralovic-Logan and the Woven Women’s Voices tapestry. Photo by Natasha Logan
The next phase of the project will focus on exhibiting the tapestry and promoting the message of creativity, community, and compassion. I encourage people to continue to participate and to submit photos of their story cloths for the Global Tapestry Gallery on my website.
I have faith in the creative power of art and stories to make connections and cultivate compassion. The response from viewers at Convergence was a beautiful confirmation of that power.