You are invited to contribute to this ongoing collaborative artwork by mailing me your sewn together tissues representing your grief and loss. Read on for information & guidance:
Description:
The Colors of Grief: (un)Locked in Amber Waiting is an ongoing collaborative artwork first shown at my solo exhibition at the Pablo Center at the Confluence in Eau Claire, Wisconsin: August 5 - October 12, 2025.
The tissue cast in amber colored resin rests on a pedestal like a sacred reliquary. The community contributed sewn tissues of grief are arranged in a nest-like shape below this reliquary representing a gathering of collective grief.
The origins of this project are rooted in my own relationship to tissues given as acts of care when one is grieving. In my early twenties, when I experienced acute loss, I could not accept the tissues as acts of care. Today, I work with facial tissues as an art material to transform that relationship by creating new forms with them and offering the new work as an act of care for others.
It is my hope that everyone who participates knows that I am deeply honored to be trusted with this representation of your grief. Thank you.
Guidance & Support for Sewing & Participating:
Use facial tissues (any type, brand or size, aka Kleenex, Puffs, cotton, etc)
Use thread color(s) that represent the colors of your grief.
Any type of thread, string, yarn can be used. Such as sewing machine thread, hand sewing and/or embroidery thread.
Use as many tissues as you want, one or multiple.
How many to use? The number of tissues or the number of stitches might represent something personal for you. For example, maybe the number of tissues you sew together mirrors the number of years since your loss.
Stitching: you can stitch by hand or use a sewing machine. The stitch can be a standard straight stitch or it can be another stitch that resonates with your grief like words and images.
- Optional: include a brief note with your name and email so that I might contact you as the piece progresses.
Mail your completed lines of grief to me any time. I will continue to care for the collection in between exhibiting the collection and reliquary.
Rhonda Willers
c/o Willers Art Studio
PO Box 9
Elk Mound, WI 54739
This project is ongoing. I will continue receiving stitched tissues, hosting sewing circles via zoom and in person. There has been such connective beauty with this project and I will continue caring for it allowing it to grow and be shared in other physical locations as well as online.
Sewing Circles via Zoom
Interested in a collaborative sewing experience to contribute to this project? Register for one or more of the free community sewing circles that I host via zoom.
If you have a group who would like to do this project, I would be honored to host a gathering via zoom or in-person. Email me at studio@rhondawillers.com with your interest.
Upcoming 2026 dates and time to be scheduled.
Recommended Supplies for Sewing Circles:
1. Facial tissues (Puffs, Kleenex, etc)
2. Thread: style and color of your choosing
3. Sewing Machine or Hand Stitching Supplies (sewing needle, stitching hoop)
4. Your memories, presence, and time.