An art project that has been crafting community—stitch by stitch, block by block—over the last year is now on permanent display in the Katzen Arts Center. 

Threads of Hope, a quilt featuring 100 squares depicting hope—created by students, faculty, and staff—was sponsored by the Civic Life initiative and shepherded by the provost’s office. Starting with the inaugural Week of Kindness in November 2024, AU hosted pop-up events across campus and invited students, faculty, and staff to use needle felting to transmit their reflections onto three-inch square quilt blocks.

“What makes this art project so powerful is that it came from the hands of so many community members [who] have created a living reminder of hope, optimism, and community,” says Provost Vicky Wilkins, who created a square featuring her dog, Gitche.  

The idea for the project came from Joo Lee, administrative coordinator for the dean of faculty. Over the summer, she quilted individual squares together to create a rectangular folk-art piece showcasing the AU mark. 

“The quilt represents the collective spirit of our campus—interconnected yet diverse,” she says. 

“Each square captures an individual phenomenon, a moment or feeling that stands on its own yet gains new meaning in dialogue with others.”  

For some, hope takes the form of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax or the tufted Truffula trees he fought to protect. It emerges as a rainbow after a storm, cherry blossoms in the spring, or a brilliant sun rising over the Washington Monument.

It’s stitched into hearts, the trans flag, or pandas. It’s even captured in the act of metamorphosis—a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.

During a crafting event last year, Rebekah Smith, CAS/BA ’13, library access outreach coordinator, created a square inspired by flowers. “Hope, for me, is choosing to plant the seeds of my actions now and believing they will bloom into something beautiful.”