close up image of tags on blankets

Contribute a Blanket & Story to New Artwork by Marie Watt

Mail by April 16, 2021

Give a blanket, share your story, and be a part of a monumental new sculpture by artist Marie Watt. The new work will be part of Each/Other: Marie Watt and Cannupa Hanska Luger, which opens at the Denver Art Museum on May 23, 2021, and will travel to the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

a stack of blankets with tags that show people's stories attached to them

Photo courtesy of Marie Watt.

Blanket Stories

We are requesting contributions of wool or natural fiber blankets, quilts, afghans, or blanket-like cloth in any condition, as well as a story or memory connected to your contribution. The blankets will create a Blanket Stories sculpture— a totem of the personal stories and histories connecting the communities of Denver, CO, Atlanta, GA, and Salem, MA.

This new work continues Watt's exploration of blankets and their significance as social connectors as well as the humble yet significant role blankets play in our lives. Blankets receive us at birth, accompany our departures, and are imprinted upon through routine and ritual.

As a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, one of six tribes that make up the Iroquois Confederacy, blankets hold a personal meaning for Watt. In the Seneca community, as well as other First Nations, blankets are given away to honor those who are witness to important life events.

It is with this perspective that Marie Watt is asking you to share blankets and/or blanket stories. Donors are invited to share their stories on printable PDFs, which can be found on the artist’s website and will be kept with the blankets. The latter will then be folded and stacked to create a skyward-reaching column.

stack of colorful blankets

Photo courtesy of Marie Watt.

How to participate

Participants will receive a small, limited-edition screen print by Marie Watt in exchange for their blanket contribution.

If a blanket is too treasured to part with, please consider sharing a proxy, or “stand-in” blanket, along with the story associated with your treasured blanket.

1. Print and fill out the blanket story PDF tag.

2. Mail your blanket contribution and blanket story to Marie Watt by Friday, April 16, 2021:

Marie Watt Studio
3806 SE 10th Ave
Portland, OR 97202