Back in 2013, millions of Syrian refugees were escaping the Syrian civil war. Jennifer Kim Sohn, an artist who lives in Sacramento and is originally from South Korea, was moved by the images she saw in The New York Times.
Looking at the report in the Times, Sohn recalls, “I recoiled at the pain. It was heartbreaking, seeing the images of children being put on the boats by their parents knowing that they may never see them again. But I wondered what I could do about this issue. I’m just a single person.”
A few years later, in 2019, Sohm was alarmed by a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees report that estimated there were 25 million worldwide refugees: people who have fled their country due to war, poverty, natural disasters or political or religious persecution. According to the most recent UNHCR report, that number has climbed to 31 million.
“I was shocked to find that 2019 UN report. Twenty-five million is an astronomical number. It’s hard to grasp an understanding of how many people that truly is. So I thought I could make art that makes this issue more relatable,” Sohn says.
An artist who’s worked with fiber for almost 20 years, Sohn wanted to bring attention to the refugee crisis by combining art and activism. So in 2019 she created 25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee. The exhibit features approximately 2,200 stitched panels by 2,200 stitchers from around the world, who range in age from 5 to 91. The show is now at San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles through Dec. 30.
Initially, Sohn thought she could single-handedly stitch all the panels herself.
“I bought a quilting machine that makes the stitches very distinct, like hand-sewn stitches rather than machine stitches,” Sohn remembers. “I broke the machine in two-and-a-half days.”
So she sought help from friends and members of local yoga and art groups, and posted a call to stitchers on Facebook and Instagram. Sohn says the early days of recruiting were “challenging,” but the response became “overwhelming.”
She sent the stitchers 15 x 32 inch muslin panels with simple stitching instructions, and within a year was able to collect the 25 million stitches. In 2021, Sohn curated her first show at the Verge Center for the Arts in Sacramento.
In the exhibit, the panels are vertically sewn together to create 408 flags that are suspended from floor to ceiling. Much of the panels are accompanied by the stitchers’ first and last names. Unlike staring at sterile walls in a typical exhibit, visitors here can roam through the art like a forest of flags.
While many of the panels carry simple messages or well wishes (“You are welcome here,” “Not invisible,” “Bridge over troubled waters,” etc.), their subjects and themes couldn’t be more diverse. They range from basic patterns to more intricate and abstract ones. Some stitches depict flowers, hearts, animals, landscapes and boats, while others look like barbed wire, outstretched hands, footprints, refugees carrying bags and the Virgin of Guadalupe. One L.A. stitcher’s piece resembles the old California highway safety signs that warned drivers of undocumented immigrants crossing the road.
“I think when people walk through it,” Sohn says, “they will experience the differences and diversity of the individuals. We have about seven panels of the Statue of Liberty. But every one of them is so different. It’s these differences coming together to represent the community and solidarity, and I think that’s beautiful.”
So far, the collection has traveled to several cities, and Sohn plans to keep it running. She’s also launched a GoFundMe, which has raised more than $8,000 to help fund the exhibit and possibly publish a coffee table book.
“For people who are thinking of leading an art-activism project,” says Sohn, “this project has taught me how influential art can be as an activist. To be honest, I didn’t plan for it to be an activism project. I just wanted to bring awareness to the increasing global refugee numbers. But I feel like 25 Million Stitches has become more than just a representation of numbers. It has transformed into a powerful narrative that will raise awareness.”
25 Million Stitches: One Stitch, One Refugee runs through Dec. 29 at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, 520 S. First St., San Jose. The museum is open Thursday–Sunday; admission is $8–$10. https://sj-mqt.org/
