October 19, 2022

#WhatDoYouStandFor?

A new collaborative art installation is on display at the entrance to Rogers Hall on the graduate campus.

whatdoyoustandfor yarn bomb installation The art therapy program, in collaboration with students, staff, and faculty across Lewis & Clark, have installed a new art exhibit outside of Rogers Hall on the graduate school campus. The yarn bomb art installation, entitled “What do you stand for?” consists of a series of yarn-based pieces, each representing a social justice topic that is meaningful to the contributor.

“Our goal was to create a collaborative art installation, united by social justice, and to provide an equitable way for students, faculty, staff, and community members to express themselves, unify our collective voices, and connect through various social justice topics,” says Mary Andrus, art therapy program director and project creator.

Participants were invited to create a 6” x 6” or bigger piece that reflects a social justice topic that is important to them, and to share their work on the art therapy instagram page @lcarttherapy, along with information about how people can take meaningful action.

“Yarn is a soft sensory based material that provides comfort,” explains Andrus, highlighting the intentionality of the medium used in this project. “The use of yarn to highlight social justice topics in a yarn bomb installation is intended to raise critical consciousness. This installation holds the dichotomy of emotionally charged topics that are presented in a way that beautifies the space, adds color with warmth, connection and community.”

All materials—a bounty of yarn, knitting needles, and crochet hooks—were crowd sourced over the past month and provided to participating artists free of charge.

Andrus says they are grateful for the many donations provided and to have been able to offer a range of colors and fibers, calling special attention to the fact that the largest donation came from the family of Christine Moore JD ’02, a law school alumni and supporter of climate justice who passed away in April of 2021. A square is currently being created in her honor.

Pieces currently in the installation address a number of themes, including:

  • Murdered Missing Indigenous Women and Girls
  • Climate Justice
  • DACA
  • Immigration Rights
  • Mental Health Awareness
  • Alzheimers Awareness
  • Women’s Rights
  • Trans Rights
  • Pansexual Awareness
  • Non-Binary Awareness
  • and more

Anyone who is interested in participating but missed the initial deadline can still submit a piece to be added to the installation. Contact Mary Andrus at mandrus@lclark.edu for more information.