The ‘We Are Home’ community quilt project is an interactive holistic work engaging the extended Tenderloin community in expressing the significance and meaning of ‘home’ through building a collective quilt.
Led by Mattie Loyce, DISH’s Community Development Manager, this project focuses on amplifying the voices of people who have lived experience of homelessness, those that care for, or live and work in community with unhoused neighbors.
The inspiration for this project was born from the legacy of The AIDS Quilt and builds on the overall legacy of quilting as radical and comforting community arts practice. In the face of housing crisis, overdose crisis, and pandemic, the intention of this project is to create a connecting precious ‘object’ as well as experience that serves as a healing totem for the collective, and especially the marginalized populations most affected. This is the second quilt project created by Mattie Loyce in partnership with Mary Hogue of Mission Praxis, following the ‘Hope Quilt’ which was completed in May 2021.
Creating Together
Beginning fall of 2022 through the spring 2023 the ‘We Are Home’ Tenderloin community quilt project hosted workshops led by Mattie Loyce with the DISH community of 9 Permanent Supportive Housing sites. She also extended the work collaborating with Tenderloin Museum, Hospitality House, Healing Well, CounterPulse, Skywatchers, 826 Valencia and Faithful Fools.
The Tenderloin community participated in creating their own unique quilt panels by responding to the prompt: ‘What is the meaning of home?’.
The project engaged over 120 participants and produced over 200 quilt squares to be created into community quilts. Construction of the quilts was made in collaboration with Mary Hogue of Mission Praxis, and volunteer ship of Miriam Iglesias and her students at Downtown High School, and a documentary film was co-produced by Mattie Loyce and Michael Young. The project is now completed and will be presenting 10 community quilts alongside the documentary film featuring over 40 DISH residents discussing the ‘meaning of home’
In the News
A sneak peek of the ‘We Are Home’ Tenderloin Community Quilt project at Counterpulse on CBS.
Contributing Artists
Antone, Wanda, Mike, Vincent, John, Andre, Krystle, Laurie, Deje, Miguel T., Sheeka A., Angelina W, Darlin, Rich, Sheeka A., Barry, Sam, Ms. Lynda, Sherri L., Miriama, Tammie B, Ibrahim, Euselyn, Hazel R., Sherri L, Gerardo, Inary, Oscar, Maya, Mili, Christian, Barbara, Yunus, Charles, Babaji Puri, Star, Roger, Eli, Rodney, Angel Eyes, Cynthia, Felicia, Hank, Elaine, Sundiata aka Sunny, Race, John H., David, Ivy Rose, Fidel, Felix, Taquwa, Ms. Janet, Theresa, Damien, Misty, Tasunna, Elizabeth, Ruben, Francisco, Calvin, Leslie, Krystle, Ashley, Francisco, Adriana, Chano, Ken, David James Crenshaw, Claire, Naomi, Fidel, Ahmed, Ivan, Sirah, Laura and Grandson, Elizabeth, Coco, Shay, Spencina, Adriana, Egur, Angelina, Jai, Angela S., Johnny B., Anya, Michael, Tricia, Betty T., Kristi, CAP Art Studio, Winnie, Zen, Javier, TNDC, Josue, Alex S., Otis, Joseph, Katie, Michael, Keisha, Darlin, Marcela, Iyari, Charles W., Mary, Jeremy, Cesar, Peter, Benito, Denise, Martin, Angelina W., Lashawn, Damien, Fidel, Ralph, Christian, Lewis B., Cricket, Christian, Theresa, Helen G., Olivia, Joseph S., Mattie, Brian B., Betty, Trujillo, Boo
Thanks to the organizations that have collaborated with us to make this project a reality!
The ‘We Are Home’ Tenderloin Community Quilt project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.