WASH! at Art in Odd Places
Join us on 14th Street in New York City on October 18-20, 2024 as WASH! participates in Art in Odd Places: CARE. Contribute by sharing a story.
join us for a public participatory art experience, celebrating the legacy of our foremothers in a ritual of rebirth and renewal.
As part of AiOP CARE Festival, WASH! will be convening on 14th Street in New York City to engage in an interactive exhibition and act of care at the washline. One purpose of community is to care for each other during periods of loss, sadness, or hardship. It is in the coming together, the witnessing, and the sharing of stories that the hard edges of grief dissipate to make room for new futures.
We will be erecting a washline on the streets of New York City to create sacred space for a collective mourning experience over the course of three days. Staged as a trilogy, each day is dedicated to one aspect of a three-part healing ritual. Share your story to be included as part of the exhibition.
Schedule of Events
DAY ONE | WORDS
meeting and collection of stories at the washline
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
outside the 14th Street Y
between 1st & 2nd Ave.
11am - 6pm *ish
DAY TWO | WITNESS
stories shared on the line with public witnessing by pedestrians
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19
near the twins mural
between 6th & 7th Ave.
10am - 5pm *ish
DAY THREE | WASH
convene at the river for a washing ritual to seed rebirth, renewal, and hope
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20
at the 14th Street Park
between 10th & 11th Ave.
10am - 3pm
*Washing Ceremony begins at 10:30
Meet us at the River on Sunday morning.
Meet us at the 14th Street Park (across from Little Island) on Sunday morning starting at 10am to engage in the participatory washing ceremony. Words will be shared, songs sung, as we witness and wash the cloths carrying our stories. Engage in community dialogue while we hang the wash to dry.
The washing ceremony will begin promptly at 10:30am and continue through the early afternoon. Come for the day, come for a little while. Either way, we would love to see you!
About the exhibition
Throughout history, washerwomen have gathered at the riverbanks and in their backyards to do their wash and share their lives.
The washline functioned as a place where they could put down their emotional loads and connect. In these ordinary acts and moments of togetherness, they built collaborative and caring communities, and strong networks of resilience and fortitude. Showing up daily for one another to share their stories, they learned from each other, protected one another, and grieved personal losses, as well as life's challenges, together.
While the tradition of communal laundry may have evolved, it continues to serve as a powerful symbol of drawing strength from our foremothers and the oral histories that unite us across generations and time.
On Grief
We have lost touch with many of the rituals and grief traditions that allow us to process loss, at a time when we could use them the most. In today’s increasingly hyper-industrialized world, we are expected to heal ourselves out of sight of each other and with as little disruption as possible. The grief we experience may be both personal (loss of a loved one, a friendship, a belief that you once valued, a dream for oneself, a changing sense of identity) and collective (a world at war, systems of bias and prejudice, displacement or diaspora, climate change, political schisms).
One purpose of community is to care for each other during periods of loss, sadness, or hardship. It is in the coming together, the witnessing, and the sharing of stories that the hard edges of grief dissipate to make room for new futures.
Participate in the exhibition by sharing your story.
Share a Story
We invite you to participate by sharing a story. Collected stories will be written on cloth, witnessed, and washed in a trilogy ritual spanning three days of the festival.
What is a WASH! story?
A story of grief that may be personal (a loss, a change) or collective (such as war, climate change, covid etc.)
A tender story that holds emotional weight for you
A story that recognizes a “washerwoman” in your life or those that carry the unseen labor of daily living
A memory you hold close to your heart
A story of strength through struggle
A loss that you may still carry within
A witnessing of the world
Something difficult that requires inner strength to resolve
The stories may come in many forms…
A written story
A fragment of a story, a few lines
A poem
An oral telling or recording
A sketch
Another art form
Stories may be written in any language you choose
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Thank you for contributing your story to WASH!. We will treat them with the utmost care. For story submissions we are accepting all forms of media
Attend the AiOP Festival. Submit your story in person on Friday, October 18th or Saturday, October 19th. Cloth and materials will be provided.
By Mail. To share a story written on your own cotton cloth please mail it to:
WASH! PO Box 180, Southfield, MA 01259
If you have friends and family, or a community group that would be interested to share, consider spreading the word and collecting a few stories and mailing them together. Please remember to use clean white cloth and washable markers. To ensure inclusion in the festival, target sending your cloth for arrival by October 12th.
Email us at pia@thewashline.com. If you don’t have the possibility to send us a cloth, you may submit a story via email by sending an attachment, a word doc, a voice note, a video message, an image of a sketch, etc. We will then transcribe it to the cloth on your behalf.
Fill out the form (button below) and submit it to our website. Stories submitted by form will be transcribed to cloth on your behalf.
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The stories are written on 100% cotton (white) cloth using WASHABLE markers. We are using tea towels, but any clean cotton cloth will do. Please do not use permanent or alcohol based markers.
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Your story may be displayed publicly including on the project’s community website and social media platforms, where it will be accessible to a broad audience. If you choose to provide comments about your stories, these reflections may also be included. Your comments offer valuable insight into the meaning behind your creation and add depth to the public understanding of your contribution.
Your story and comments may be used in future publications, presentations, or promotions related to this project or similar initiatives. These could include online galleries, educational materials, or advocacy campaigns. You will always be acknowledged according to your preferences.
Your name may be displayed in attribution with your story and comments. Please let us know if you prefer to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym.
By participating you acknowledge and agree to the above. If you have questions or concerns please email pia@thewashline.com. Thank you for sharing your story with us and your participation in the WASH! Project.
Project Contributors
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MARIA SEDDIO
VISION HOLDER & CREATOR
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PIA TEMPESTINI
ADVISOR
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DAVID MCQUEEN
SCULPTOR
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MARISSA WILCOX
ADVISOR
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DR. JULIET KING
ART THERAPY ADVISOR
Volunteers
Thank you to our incredible volunteers and the WasherWoman Collective for making these days in NYC special and possible.
Fran Cardiff
Don Cardiff
Loretta Vosseler
Diane Russo
Jamie Russo
Teresa Grella
Emily Hillebrand
Lori Hotz
Alena Turturro
Emily Walsh
Benedetta Diamanti
Jill Elliot
Katy Cockrell
Laurie Marshall
Julia Kots
Colin Moremore
Jack Moore
Kenny Bieber
Mental Health Support
Everyone deserves care. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available.
For urgent support: Mental Health Hotline 866.903.3787
To find a licensed family therapist in your area: Therapist Locator