Print Public – Ramekon O’Arwisters

Crochet Jam
Crochet Jam is a community-based art project that invites participants to crochet strips of fabric into large, free-form, organic rag-rug tapestries in a safe environment to foster creativity, liberation, and social interaction. No attempt is made to dictate the creative process and participants crochet together without concern for the finished product. Participants are welcome to bring fabric to contribute to the project. Instruction in single-stitch crochet is provided.

Crochet Jam is a family friendly event. All ages are welcome. Crochet Jam is rooted in a cherished childhood memory that is steeped in the African American traditions of weaving and quilting making. Ramekon’s grandmother allowed him the freedom to add any color or pattern he wanted to her quilts. Togetherness and sharing stories, while calmly quilting without rules in a non-judgmental environment, was important.

Crochet Jam Partners
Actual Cafe, City of Berkeley, Emeryville Center for Community Life, Love Our Neighborhood Day, St. Colomba Church

About Artist
Ramekon O’Arwisters is a social-practice artist who is known for creating collaborative, community-based projects infused with folk-art traditions that foster a culture of community building. Born in Kernersville, North Carolina, Ramekon earned a M.Div. from Duke University Divinity School. He was an artist-in-residence at the de Young Museum (2013), the Djerassi Resident Artists Program (2003), and the Vermont Studio Center (1991), and has received grants from the San Francisco Foundation, the San Francisco Arts Commission Cultural Equity Program, and Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue, New York, NY. He was a 2014 Eureka Fellow, awarded by the Fleishhacker Foundation, San Francisco and 2016 Artist-in-Residence Program at Recology San Francisco.