Coronaquilt
For my doctoral research hoping and coping I am exploring if and how art therapy can help in bolstering resilience in times of crisis, using my Art Refuge practice work as case material. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and building on the charity’s work with refugees in northern France in which social media can be a lifeline, Coronaquilt was launched in mid-March as a virtual community project. Art Refuge invited people across the world to contribute to a patchwork quilt via Instagram. Taking the form of drawing, photography, craft or textiles on the theme of daily rituals, the project has had a huge response with 1,162 contributions (13.11.20) from over 25 countries. A number of contributors, including refugees, have fed back that the physical act of sewing and making was helping them feel more grounded and absorbed in the here and now. Feedback so far is that Coronaquilt has provided distraction from fear, anxiety, grief, loss and loneliness – emotions associated with the coronavirus – helping some people hope, cope and manage better with the pandemic.
@coronaquilt
Art Refuge uses art and art therapy to support people displaced due to conflict, persecution and poverty, in the UK and internationally.
Miriam Usiskin
School of Education
Coronaquilt
For my doctoral research hoping and coping I am exploring if and how art therapy can help in bolstering resilience in times of crisis, using my Art Refuge practice work as case material. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and building on the charity’s work with refugees in northern France in which social media can be a lifeline, Coronaquilt was launched in mid-March as a virtual community project. Art Refuge invited people across the world to contribute to a patchwork quilt via Instagram. Taking the form of drawing, photography, craft or textiles on the theme of daily rituals, the project has had a huge response with 1,162 contributions (13.11.20) from over 25 countries. A number of contributors, including refugees, have fed back that the physical act of sewing and making was helping them feel more grounded and absorbed in the here and now. Feedback so far is that Coronaquilt has provided distraction from fear, anxiety, grief, loss and loneliness – emotions associated with the coronavirus – helping some people hope, cope and manage better with the pandemic.
@coronaquilt
Art Refuge uses art and art therapy to support people displaced due to conflict, persecution and poverty, in the UK and internationally.
Miriam Usiskin
School of Education