This week on Prison Pipeline co-host Emma Lugo interviews Rachel Wallis of the Coffee Creek Quilters. The Coffee Creek Quilters teaches quilting classes to women incarcerated at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. Since 2002, they have provided a positive, hands-on program that gives their students an opportunity to learn and practice many life-enhancing skills.
Rachel Wallis is an activist who uses art in her organizing work, and an artist who engages in issues of racial and social justice. As a primarily self-taught textile artist, her work spans the divide between fine art and craft. She believes that traditional textile techniques, particularly quilting, can provide a fertile platform for creating dialog and understanding around complex ideas and issues.
Quilting teaches patience, perseverance, problem-solving and the importance of quality work. When students complete their quilts, they develop a positive, “I can do it” attitude. The goal of Coffee Creek Quilters is to nurture students’ self-esteem, so that they will be more successful living in the community after release from prison.
For Rachel Wallis, quilting has a rich history in diverse communities in the US. For generations quilting has created spaces for women to build community, support each other, and organize. She believes that community quilts allow us to tackle overwhelming subjects.
https://www.rachelawallis.com/about.html
http://coffeecreekquilters.org/
- KBOO