RACINE — Dozens of community members are coming together to sew fabric panels that will soon cover portions of the outside of the Racine Art Museum in downtown Racine.
The textile installation is the work of artist Amanda Browder, who has organized a series of Community Sewing Days, where residents help piece and sew together donated fabric that will ultimately be woven through the paneling on the museum's exterior when it goes up in September.
For Mary Siuta, Wednesday marked her second time attending a Community Sewing Day.
"I believe in the artwork of it, I believe in giving back to the community, I have a skill," Siuta said. "And I just think it's a great way to build community. It's an exciting project."
Siuta said seeing her donated fabric become part of the larger work has been a highlight of the experience.
"Both times I've come, I've seen fabric that I've donated go into a stretch of fabric, and that is very, very fun," Siuta said.
For Browder, the sewing days are about making art accessible to everyone.
"What's really awesome is the more people come and participate, the more they feel like they're owners of the piece," Browder said.
For participant Maggie Eastman, who usually sews alone, the sewing days are an opportunity to sew with others.
"My daughter was here with me, as well, last time I was here," Eastman said.
While some participants like Eastman and Siuta have been sewing for decades, Browder has made sure there are tasks available for people who don't sew.
"Like the pinning of all the pieces together, so people from all walks of life," Eastman said.
Watch: Racine-area residents help bring artist's vision to life for Racine Art Museum installation
And the inclusiveness of the events is reflected in the vision of the large-scale installation itself.
"The piece is about kind of shouting to the mountains and saying, 'People that make quilts, people that make anything, deserve a voice,'" Browder said.
As the piece will be installed on the art museum's exterior, it will be on display for free viewing at all times, starting September 18.
"This is also on the people that come and see it," Browder said. "It's your task to come and check this out. If you miss it, you've missed it, and all you can see is the photograph."
Browder encourages people to come see the installation in September, as sun and weather will cause the fabrics to change over time.
"See what it looks like vibrant, and watch as the earth kind of changes it over, say, a two-month period," she said.
The installation itself is shaping up to be a celebration of all the hands that helped make it happen.
"Let's just allow people to be a little bit creative and go a direction and see what happens," Browder said. "And that magic really shows as we put it up."
There are still several community sewing days scheduled through August 6. For more information, head to www.ramart.org/events.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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