in times we gather

“It Times We Gather” (2023) is large-scale fabric art installation by Brooklyn based artist Amanda Browder, commissioned and presented by Reach Projects, Blue Hill, Maine. Located on the First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, Maine. 

The temporary art installation was created together with residents of the Blue Hill peninsula. All the fabric was donated by area residents and was sewn with local volunteers at Public Sewing Days hosted at various locations around the peninsula including the Brooklin School, Central Hall in Blue Hill, Tinder Hearth in Brooksville, and The First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, where the project was installed. Over 50 volunteers of all ages and abilities participated in the Public Sewing Days.

In describing the goals of the project, Browder says “the overarching goal is to increase the community’s sense of public engagement and ownership. The “artist” is not one person, but rather a network of participants and spectators. The piece supports letting go of hierarchical understandings of craft vs. art, and embraces sewing and community participation as a way of letting people find their own role in the project. Being the “artist” becomes fluid and collective, paralleling craft history in which most artists remain anonymous, yet the artistry and significance of their work transcends individual identity”.

Reach Projects, founded in 2019, is a residency program that provides mid-career artists with an opportunity to experience the unique environment and culture of the Blue Hill Peninsula and to engage the community through contemporary art.

Reach Projects sponsored by Blue Hill Community Development. 

https://www.reachprojects.org/fabric-project-2023

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