Textile Artists Organizing for Change
Assorted work by participating artists in the #Textiles4MVP Fundraiser including pieces made from weaving, quilting, and embroidery.
Team: Coalition of 100+ fiber artists led by Jen Hewett, Erin M. Riley, Betty Farrell, and me
Roles: Co-founder, lead organizer, design, and communications
Year: 2020
Press: Featured in Vogue, En Pointe, and MSNBC.
To support grassroots organizations working in the battleground states during the 2020 November elections, I co-founded and led the Textile Artists Organizing for Change group — a coalition of 100+ artists around the country — to fundraise for the Movement Voter Project.
Our Instagram-based #Textiles4MVP sales and auctions raised a total of $50,158 from 757 unique contributions with 100% of the proceeds going to 42 local groups like Black Voters Matter, Mijente, and Mothering Justice to mobilize for the November elections and build long-term infrastructure in their communities.
As part of the core organizing principles, we did not want to fundraise for a specific candidate or a party. We believe that grassroots organizations know how best to mobilize and invest in their communities.
After the Vogue article was published, we received more higher-dollar bids in the online auctions and low-dollar donations directly to the Movement Voter Project.
#Textiles4MVP Fundraiser
Video description: A screen recording of all the Intagram posts under the #Textiles4MVP hashtag, which showcases a range of textile pieces for sale and auction. Some of the techniques include weaving, quilting, knitting and dyeing. The Instagram feed also includes fundraising updates with the dollar amounts.
Organizing Method
A screenshot of the first Zoom call with 100+ artists and the Movement Voter Project.
The effort was organized entirely virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interested artists at any stage in their career were invited to an initial Zoom meeting to learn about the Movement Voter Project, coalition goals, fundraising principles, and guidelines on how to get started with their own art auction.
We created a toolkit that included social media graphics, sample messaging, and a how-to guide to help artists kick off their art sale, promote the #Textiles4MVP hashtag, and galvanize support from their friends, family, and followers.
All fundraising amounts were announced to the group and publicly for transparency.