SAN DIEGO, CA.- Mingei International Museum opened 25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee on March 25, 2023. Guest curated by Sacramento-based, Korean-American fiber artist Jennifer Kim Sohn, the exhibition is a community project shedding light on the approximate number of refugees estimated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees when the project first started.
Kim Sohn makes audiences aware of the world’s refugee problem by visually revealing their number on embroidered muslin panels. In the show, over 2,000 panels are combined vertically to create 408 floor-to- ceiling flags. These flags have been suspended from the ceiling, allowing visitors to walk through and around the installation, being both an immersive and emotional experience.
“The aim of this community project and exhibition is to help people see refugees as our neighbors and fellow humans rather than a threat to our limited resources,” says guest curator Jennifer Kim Sohn.
Initially, Kim Sohn planned to do all the stitching herself but then decided to open the project up to the international community, making the project not only more feasible but also more compelling. Kim Sohn and her passionate team of volunteers crowd-sourced 2,300 stitchers from all 50 states and 37 countries worldwide. Each panel is unique, featuring different stitching techniques and creative expressions. Some document personal narratives of migration and others show solidarity with refugees. Those who contributed hand-stitched panels included relatively nearby victims of the Paradise fire in California, refugees on the other side of the globe, five-year-old students, retirees and everything in between.
“Not only will 25 Million Stitches be a visually stunning and socially resonant exhibition, but it shows the power of craft to bring people together and address what has historically been a divisive issue,” says Mingei Senior Curator Barbara Hanson Forsyth. “In selecting stitching, a traditionally feminine craft, as the medium, Kim Sohn makes the enormity of the refugee crisis relatable and accessible to all audiences. It’s different from previous Mingei exhibitions, but it could not be more relevant to our mission.”
Whether participants were new to stitching or experienced fiber artists, the end result is anything but simple– it exemplifies the power of craft to persuade in a disarming way. The panels, suspended from the ceiling, envelop viewers, creating both a sense of grandeur when taken in together and empathy with viewing each individually stitched panel. The overwhelming message of solidarity and hope invokes a sense of unity achieved through collaboration.
