Thread Count

Thread Count
2021
José Giovanni Herrera, Arlie Sommer, and Danny Wheeler
Embroidered cotton sheet
63 x 89 inches 

Thread Count shows the Idaho COVID death count visually through an embroidered tapestry of the 3,168 and counting, state residents who’ve passed from the illness during the pandemic (as of Sunday, October 10, 2021). Each starburst of stitches represents the death toll of an Idaho county, one stitch per death.

Embroidered onto a bed sheet from a local hospital, the tapestry was made collaboratively, during a series of gatherings that refer to historic quilting circles in rural areas, where communities often came together to quilt and discuss how to address issues they faced. The project also expands on each stitch, or death, with audio interviews of healthcare workers, accounts from those who have witnessed COVID-19 deaths with details of how these lives were lost and the impact of the illness.

This project was created as a part of ART 373/473, Time Based Art, taught by Kate Walker.