"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break." - Chinese proverb
The Red Thread Project® is a community art project I started 7.5 years ago as a double dare from curator Kaz McCue. Little did I know that the simple dare would blossom into something so large. The Red Thread Project® celebrates community connections, both visible and invisible, while encouraging and fostering individual creativity. The hats on display exhibited the creative efforts of hundreds of youths and adults from across Chicago (and as far as Belgium) who’ve been knitting and crocheting hats since late September.
On December 3rd we partied! 300+ hats were attached to one very long read "thread." We had so many hats that we didn't have enough room to lay them all out! People of all ages and all parts of Chicago came to celebrate, showing their community spirit, and let's face it to get down and boogey. The event was at the Chicago Cultural Center as part of "What's Your Art: Celebrating the Art Centers of Chicago" presented by Chicago Public Media, Sixty Inches from Center, TimeOut Chicago and Intellegentsia.
We had a last minute change of music with the EE Marching Band providing a fantastic New Orleans jazz sound. Meida McNeal and Felicia Holman got us line dancing and Sara Convery photographed the event. Mary Lawrie rearranged her work schedule to help with all the last minute attaching and assist with the installation. Bless you lady, the show would not have gone on without you!
All hats contributed will be donated to local charities including those assisting cancer patients, foster children, the elderly and the homeless. Since its inception in 2004, over 6,000 hats have been donated to charities in Terre Haute, IN, Memphis, TN, Grand Rapids, MI, Sugar Grove, IL and St. Louis, MO.
The Red Thread Project® was a featured program of Chicago Artists Month 2011, the sixteenth annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant community presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.
Thank you to the following organizations for hosting Red Thread Stitching Studios:
- Borderbend Arts Collective
- Claretian Associates / South Chicago Arts Festival
- Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse
- Knit 1
- Loopy Yarns
- Newberry Libary
- North Branch Projects
- Rogers Park Business Alliance
- Sifu Design Studio
- Southside Hub of Productions
- The Art Center of Highland Park
- The Emanuel Congregation Sewing Ladies
- The Knitting Pub Crawl (6 Rogers Park bars)
And a special thank you to these great folks who helped make the day happen!
Andrew Altman (webmaster), Nicolette Caldwell (Sixty Inches from Center), Georgia Chilton (media organizer), Sara Convery (photographer), Penelope Dullaghan (illustrator), Felicia Holman (choreographer), Tempestt Hazel (Sixty Inches from Center), Mary Lawrie (intern), Meida McNeal (choreographer), Corinne Peterson (sculptor and knitting circle maker), Breeze Richardson (Chicago Public Media).
So what's next? I've had offers to bring the project to more cities, but it's time for new adventures. I will soon be archiving the project which will become part of the Women and Leadership Archives at Loyola University. If you have a photo or a story you want to be sure is added, just let me know.














