Many of us have expressed grief over the loss of connection, testimony, witness, touch, and a shared container for metabolizing our pain into wisdom. While this emotional range is not strictly bounded by the various pandemics that we have suffered lately, this moment deserves a physical process of meaning-making nevertheless.
The call, or prompt, for your contribution is this: "What must be remembered?"
With Kerchief, I offer one means of creatively rebuilding our connective tissue; a tactile object of our individual emotions and collective memorialization; a durable reminder of our knowings that are sifting to the surface at this time to help us heal now and in the future.
Link to Kerchief's facebook homepage for background, FAQ's, developments, and the livestream.
https://www.facebook.com/DivineKerchiefImportant dates:
Sign up to participate up til March 25.
Postmark mailed hankies by April 5.
I need to receive your completed contribution by April 10.
The livestream stitching and sculpture-making process on Friday, April 23.
If returning your completed handkerchief by mail, you can use a pre-paid mailer I will provide. It will send itself to Yale Institute of Sacred Music, c/o Caitlin MacGregor, 406 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511.
If returning in person, you can drop it in the library book drop box at the entrance to Parking Lot 11 at the Divinity School at 409 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511.
All these details are also on the facebook page.
Many thanks to the Institute of Sacred Music #yaleISM and Graduate and Professional Student Senate #yalesenate for their support of this project.
Please use this form to indicate how you want to be involved, from just staying in the loop to stitching a handkerchief of your own.