Stitch & Stay Awhile is a collaborative artwork that invites participants into the act of mending and meditating on the sounds of salt marshes. This project developed out of a desire to communicate the laborious and time-consuming nature of environmental restoration, especially the restoration of salt marshes.

What is a salt marsh?

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands fed by salt water. The plants, animals, and even the soils of the marsh are uniquely adapted to thrive in these salty conditions. Salt marshes have been shown to filter pollutants, store large amounts of Carbon, and provide a home for many species of wildlife, including the endangered Salt Marsh Sparrow. These ecosystems are also threatened by rising sea levels and encroaching urbanization, and many scientists, researchers, and citizens are working to restore and protect these spaces.

Why this project? Why now?

Observing, learning about, and participating in salt marsh restoration efforts in Rhode Island over the past two years, was the impetus for creating Stitch & Stay Awhile. This project shares visual and auditory elements of the marsh through six large-scale cyanotypes on damaged silk and six field recordings and invites viewers to join me in the tedious act of mending and listening.

Over the past two years, I have spent several hours a week in salt marshes—listening and learning, sketching and sewing, and trying to better understand the value of this space and our role in protecting it. This project is an invitation to sit with me in the marsh awhile, to listen and move slowly. I hope you will join me in this remote experiment in care and repair.

Interested in supporting this project, but don’t have time to mend?

You can support this project and salt marsh restoration efforts directly by purchasing one of the prints or artist books below. 25% of the proceeds from each artwork will be donated to Save the Bay.