Stories in Cloth: Exploring Contemporary Issues through Students’ Embroidered Narratives

Abstract

This project was designed for an undergraduate art education course to help students visually communicate ideas about contemporary issues through the use of cloth and embroidery. Students examined how historic embroidered visual narratives have been used to inform, advocate for, or protest local or global issues and events. Using peer feedback for developing visual literacy and dialogue to foster empathy, students explored and discussed the socially-responsive works of various artists while also learning to talk about their own work (and the work of their peers) critically to improve visual communication skills. Students researched local and global issues such as homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement, and transgender rights, then designed visuals to inform, advocate for, or protest their chosen topics, embroidered in cloth. Outcomes from the project included responsive and empathetic dialogue with peers while building community, meaningful feedback noted in discussions and reflective writing, and improved visual communication skills evidenced in students’ embroidered narratives.