Sue Uhlig is the PAEA Region 4 Representative and is a Ph.D. candidate in Art Education at Penn State University. She also teaches online classes for Purdue and Illinois State. Sue’s interests include object collections as research and artistic practice, traveling, and hiking with her husband and pup.

I was first introduced to the work of artist Sonya Clark in 2007 when she came to Purdue University for a hands-on workshop on beaded prayer packets, which corresponded to the exhibition Beaded Blessings she curated. In the Beaded Prayer Project, Clark asked people all over the world to make beaded prayer packets individually or through workshops and displayed them in Beaded Blessings. The workshop led participants through the process of creating a prayer packet using scraps of fabric, beads, and thread to enclose a handwritten wish, prayer, hope, or dream. It was powerful to see the hundreds of contributions of beaded prayer packets from people all over the world in the accompanying exhibition. After the workshop, participants were able to add their contributions to the show, which allowed me to see the possibilities of a participatory gallery show in which all contributions were valued.

Flash forward to 2021- I saw images for the Solidarity Book Project on social media, and I was excited to see that initiative was led by Sonya Clark. The Solidarity Book Project asks us to reflect on the concept of solidarity through art, particularly with Black and indigenous communities. Once again, the exhibition is participatory in nature and consists of open contributions by a variety of participants.

Last month, I led a Region 4 workshop on the Solidarity Book Project during which participants Amy Anderson, Julia Nelson, and Danielle Crowe sculpted a book that taught them something about solidarity. I also asked participants to submit a statement on what solidarity means to them, and I included their statements in social media posts. Their books will be included in the upcoming exhibition at Amherst College.

Submissions for the Solidarity Book Project are accepted until June 30, so it’s not too late to make your own book and submit it for the exhibition! Follow the directions on the website to sculpt your book and mail it to Amherst College. In lieu of or in addition to the book, you can submit your statement on solidarity and/or a recording of you reading a short passage from a book that has taught you something about what solidarity means. Each participatory act raises money for Black and indigenous communities. See the Solidary Book Project website for more details in how you can participate.

Besides leading socially engaged, participatory exhibitions, Sonya Clark is an active textile and social practice artist. You may have seen her artwork Eye to Eye (2001) featured on the cover of the September 2020 issue of Art Education journal and in the issue’s instructional resource “ written by Penn State Ph.D. candidate and Region 4 member Luke Meeken. An exhibition of her work, “Sonya Clark: Tatter, Bristle, and Mend,” is currently at the National Museum of Woman in the Arts. This exhibition delves deep into 100 artworks on race, Blackness, and history. Clark transforms common materials such as sugar, combs, and thread into stunning artworks layered with meaning. Central themes in the exhibition address heritage, labor, language, and visibility, and the galleries are further organized by media, such as combs, hair, and flags. The exhibition closes June 27, so see it soon in person, or check out the online exhibition.