Creative arts project by Dr. Jacqueline Wernimont for sitting with loss and in particular the losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the project: "Grief takes a number of forms and they evolve over time. Last week I wept and felt unfocused. But I woke one morning remembering the work I’ve done in representing past pandemics in fiber installations (including with Liz Grumbach on the 1918 Influenza). I remembered visitors’ reactions, the way they sat with the braids and wove and unwove them, sitting with those who are long dead.

So many are unable to mourn their dead in traditional ways right now. We are not permitted to sit with our dead, to gather and mourn together. Or, as in Italy, people are trapped with their dead because the system is too overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed. So I started braiding mourning braids for COVID-19. It is a way for me to process, but also, perhaps, to help.

These are made of wool roving and are roughly six feet long.
If you would like to join me in braiding, either as a way of mourning your own losses or to represent those losses that are distant but nevertheless deserve our care, you can of course simply start braiding. If you’d like to contribute a braid or braids to what will likely be some sort of installation, send me a note with the form below."