Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong
The Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong Vermillion Cultural Association with Creative Care for the CDC Foundation Vaccine Confidence Program was a successful art project that aimed to promote community healing in the aftermath of the pandemic. The project, led by local artist Ariadne Albright, an Arts in Health instructor at the University of South Dakota, brought together participants from nine different communities in South Dakota to create barn quilts made of fine art paper. Along with the artwork, participants were asked to write a short story or lesson they learned from the pandemic.
According to project participant, Erin Burrow, the barn quilt project was “a fun event to get to come and do at our library” and provided a way for people to connect on a deeper level while being creative. The project volunteer, Rosemary Buchmann, shared that many participants recognized positive things that came out of the pandemic, such as spending more time with family or enjoying nature.
The quilts created during the project will be on display at the University of South Dakota until April 30. The project was documented on the Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong Facebook page, the Vermillion Cultural Association website, and in news articles such as “Barn Quilt Project helps build stronger communities after COVID” by The Public Opinion and “South Dakota Barn Quilt Project prompts creativity and healing” by Keloland News.
The Barn Quilt Project: South Dakota Strong, led by the Vermillion Cultural Association in collaboration with the CDC Foundation’s Vaccine Confidence Program, was a huge success. The project aimed to promote community healing through art and storytelling, and it certainly achieved that goal.
Throughout the project, participants from all over South Dakota were asked to submit a short story or lesson they learned from the pandemic. These stories were then used to create beautiful barn quilts made out of fine art paper, which were displayed in nine different communities across the state.
Local artist Ariadne Albright, who led the project at the Vermillion Public Library, said that the project was meant as a way to highlight the positives that came out of the pandemic. “We’ve been focusing on the negative parts for the last couple of years,” said project volunteer, Rosemary Buchmann, “so it was nice to have an opportunity to think about what good came out of the situation.”
Participants in the project shared that they had learned valuable lessons from the pandemic, such as spending more time with family, taking more walks and spending time in nature. “The visual art project is very calming and meditative,” said Albright, “and it’s a really good place to think about how we did during the pandemic with gratitude and on a positive note.”
The quilts that were submitted were on display at the University of South Dakota until April 30, 2022 and the project has been praised for its ability to bring communities together and promote healing through art and storytelling.
You can find more information about the project on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/barnquiltprojectSD/), the Vermillion Cultural Association website (https://www.vermculture.org/barnquilt) and on various news outlets such as The Public Opinion (https://www.thepublicopinion.com/story/news/2022/04/03/barn-quilt-project-helps-build-stronger-communities-after-covid-watertown-south-dakota/7219393001/) and Keloland (https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/south-dakota-barn-quilt-project-prompts-creativity-and-healing/)
