The Muncie Arts and Culture Council and PlySpace, an artist-in-residence program based in the Emily Kimbrough Historic District in downtown Muncie, Indiana, are excited to announce the second Summer Term Resident Artist, Kacie Lyn Martinez. Martinez is a participatory fiber artist based in Brooklyn, New York whose work generates contemporary weaving projects which combine therapeutic, meditative practice with traditional weaving methods. While in residence at PlySpace throughout the month of August, Martinez will present a public weaving project, ”the hopes we wear on our backs”, at Canan Commons. The launch of this project will coincide with the First Thursday in August. She will also work directly with the YWCA of Muncie and Muncie OUTreach as community collaborative project partners to explore the weaving process as a catalyst for healing, community cohesion, and home-making.
The participatory public art project titled “the hopes we wear on our backs” explores the process of collectively envisioning Muncie’s future. A month-long project, “the hopes we wear on our backs” invites Muncie residents to write out their hopes for the city on strips of recycled clothing which will then be woven by Martinez and interested participants into a temporary public artwork installed at the Canan Commons grates. The project is inspired by a lack of public spaces for dialogue as well as negative news cycles which sensationalize trauma and ignore daily beauty in our communities. The project aims to engage with various Muncie communities by using participatory fiber arts to make physical the process of collective dreaming.
Martinez will begin actively working on the public installation on First Thursday, August 2nd, from 5-8 PM. She will be on site to answer questions about the project and her process, and invites the public to participate by sharing their hopes and dreams for Muncie in person. She will continue the project by facilitating public participation each following Saturday throughout the month of August from 11 AM to 2 PM. Martinez will also be on site Saturday, August 4th from 6-8 PM prior to Downtown Development’s Moonlight Movie screening of “Wonder Woman” at Canan Commons. The public can also participate at any time by adding to the supply of recycled clothing strips and writing their hopes on the strips for Martinez to weave during her next public workday. Full instructions on how to participate will be available at the Canan Commons artwork site and on www.plyspace.org.
Project Dates:
First Thursday, August 2nd // 5 - 8 PM
Saturday, August 4th // 11 AM - 2 PM + 6 - 8 PM prior to the Moonlight Movie
Saturday, August 11th // 11 AM - 2 PM
Saturday, August 18th // 11 AM - 2 PM
Saturday, August 25th // 11 AM - 2 PM
Public Participation:
The public is invited to participate in both the weaving process and in the creation of the “hope strips” which will be used during the weaving sessions. During the project dates and times listed above, Kacie Lyn Martinez will be on site and able to answer questions or assist participants with weaving strips into the grates.
At other times when the artist is not at work, the public is welcome to leave strips of recycled clothing for use in the project. A waterproof bin will be left at the site to collect any donated materials. There will also be a sharpie marker available at the site so that participants can write their own “hope strips” and leave them with the material stash.
Hopes can also be submitted via email! Submit your Hope Strip here!
Questions about material donations can be directed to Erin at Hello@PlySpace.org. We are happy to accommodate larger groups who wish to participate in this public project. Please contact Erin at Hello@PlySpace.org to arrange a special group meeting time with the artist.