Multiple Artists
A Stitch in Time
A Stitch in Time is a youth exhibition featuring artworks inspired by Diedrick Brackens: ark of bulrushes, currently on view at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).
Jun 25 - Sep 5, 2021
About the Exhibition
The adage goes that those who do not know the past are doomed to repeat it. With that in mind, we look to the past to provide both hope and lessons for the future. For many, recent tragic events—combined with feelings of isolation and uncertainty—have become emotional burdens. To alleviate trauma, art can be used to create healing through expression, empowerment through activism, and unity through a universal language.
A Stitch in Time youth exhibition is inspired by Diedrick Brackens: ark of bulrushes (February 20 – August 22, 2021), currently on view at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). In his latest works, artist Diedrick Brackens draws from themes of storytelling, African American and LGBTQ histories, liberation, empowerment, navigation, survival, and healing. In his large-scale weavings, dynamic black figures merge with symbols from oral histories of Underground Railroad freedom quilts and celestial constellations. His sculptural baskets hearken to the biblical story from the Book of Exodus in which infant Moses is set adrift on the Nile River. In this collection of works, the artist offers hope in a time of trepidation about our collective past, present, and future.
After viewing Brackens’s powerful exhibition, Michelle Peacock’s Drawing and Painting II, III, III Honors, and IV students at Saguaro High School and students in Jennifer Jardine’s North Valley Arts Academy Intro to the Studio class at Shadow Mountain High School reflected upon issues important to them. Lessons were guided by Therosia Reynolds, a multidisciplinary artist whose work seeks to inspire, encourage, and empathize with the human experience using iconography and imagery from BIPOC culture. Through this process, students researched moments in history that mirror current events and social issues to illuminate hope for the future. The resulting activist artworks are reminders that life’s challenges bring about resilience and with empathy unites us more deeply.
Organized by Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation
Curator note
A Stitch in Time is on view in the ArtReach Space inside Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E 2nd St.
Click here for current hours at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.