Current Artist-in-Residence, Lauren DiCioccio from Woodside, California worked with individuals during Open Studio Saturday and at Shamrock Senior Center to create hand-sewn letters that will be mailed to those serving in the military, starting the week of October 11. “The simple act of making something by hand is such a powerful and intimate way to show support for soldiers who are far from the comforts of home and family. I feel that the act of hand-sewing these letters communicates appreciation and thankfulness on a level that words cannot capture” says DiCioccio.
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"My work deals with paper media objects that are disappearing from our day-to-day life, such as newspapers, magazines, printed photographs. I use craft techniques, particularly hand-sewing, to describe the beauty of these items and to remind us of the aspect of touch and tactility that is lost in their digital two-dimensional replacements. For my community outreach, I wanted to do a project about letter-writing. Though email and the telephone are more convenient and immediate vehicles for long distance communication, the intimacy of receiving a hand-written letter-- a soft, tangibe, long-awaited object, once held in the hands of its sender-- is an experience that these “immediate media” cannot begin to express. I specifically wanted to gather people together to send letters to the troops because of the strong history and tradition of war-time letter writing."
If you know someone serving in Afghanistan who would appreciate receiving a hand sewn letter, please email us the name and mailing address of the soldier to Angela Grauel at agrauel@mccollcenter.org.
"I hope that gathering together to sew these letters will allow us to express these sentiments, honor those who serve our country and make a personal connection to this ongoing conflict"
Letters will be on exhibition in Lauren's studio, Veteran's Day, Thursday, November 11 during gallery hours, 11 AM to 4 PM. -72.jpg)