Sacred Strength: Indigenous Ribbon Skirts Exhibit Presented by the Hope Arises Project

Artist Statement by Connie Collins, Fashion Teacher:

Sewing is becoming a lost art in this world of fast fashion. Most of my students are new to sewing, it is not something that they grew up with. And if they do know a bit about sewing it is often their grandmother that showed them how to thread a needle or sew on a button. Experiencing this Indigenous teaching on the significance of ribbon skirts, intentionally choosing the fabric and the ribbons, carefully cutting to the measurements, and then adding and sewing on the ribbons took time and perseverance. This stretched my students. This caused them to pause and slow down. This allowed for them to make mistakes and then to fix them again. These skirts are not perfect, they are not sewn by master sewers. They are sewn by teenagers who want to share with you their new learning, their personal experience and their newfound Indigenous knowledge.