This Phoenix artist's protest project is the subject of a documentary

Phoenix artist Ann Morton has made a career of upending and exploiting traditional fiber art techniques.

She’s made quilting and crochet and other textile arts — normally thought of as quiet hobbies belonging to our grandmothers’ generation — into radical statements of equality and perseverance.

Her latest project is “The Violet Protest,” launched at the beginning of 2020. Participants were asked to create 8-inch squares of red and blue materials that symbolize the union of opposing U.S. political ideologies. 

The Show caught up with Morton to get the latest on the project, which is now being chronicled in a new documentary film.

Full conversation

ROBRT PELA: Ann, tell me about the inspiration for the Violet Project. This was January of 2020, is that right?

ANN MORTON: Yes. However, the idea for a project like this had been kind of brewing for a couple years before that. But really, for me, it really happened because of my concern about the growing divisiveness in the country. And maybe it’s simpleminded, but I thought, “Let’s go back to the basics. Let’s go back to the values that I’m sure every lawmaker wants their kids to grow up knowing and that we teach our children.”

And of course, as you know, I’ve done other projects where I ask lots of people to get involved. So, when the opportunity at the Phoenix Art Museum came along, it just seemed like all the pieces fell together of this project that had been kind of mulling around.

And so, I taught color for years, and I know that on the color wheel between red and blue is violet, and I love the word “Violet Protest” because at first glance, people thought it said violent.

ROBERT PELA: Is it safe to assume that you were surprised at the response?

ANN MORTON: You always hope when you have a project like this. You know, you set a number, but as the project went forward, of course as you know, it was launched in January of 2020. And life was different then. How different can life be?

So what surprised me was how this project really acted as a healing agent for so many people and gave them this outlet to voice their frustrations, their fears, their concerns at a time when we were all isolated.

So my pandemic experience was to receive packages every day from people all over the country with these beautiful textiles — and notes also, they would write me notes. So, I really had just this amazing experience during the pandemic.

Ann Morton

ROBERT PELA: Two different local artists told me, independently of one another, that this was one of the things, one of the primary things that got them through the pandemic was working on squares for the Violet Project while they were locked down at home, while they were sheltering at home.

ANN MORTON: Well, that’s really gratifying to hear. I have gotten that kind of feedback from a lot of makers. And actually, you know, this is not — the Violet Protest is a another iteration of women coming together to use textiles for a cause that’s happened all through American history and has really allowed women to kind of stitch themselves into visibility.

ROBRT PELA: And then there was the iconography of the U.S.

ANN MORTON: Yes.

ROBERT PELA: It stood for United States, but it also stood for us. And it was about unity in that way.

ANN MORTON: That’s correct. Yeah, so, we all know the U.S. stands for the United States, but I also love the fact that it stands for us and that at the end of the exhibition was carrying over 10,000 squares just in those two letters. And plus what was on the wall, but yeah.

ROBRT PELA: And then you sent the squares to members of Congress.

ANN MORTON: That’s correct. Yes, each member of the Senate and the House got 25 squares. And so that’s 540 boxes.

Ann Morton

ROBRT PELA: And it seems like the project is continuing. Now there’s a documentary being made.

ANN MORTON: That’s right. And I think really that is where our reach will happen. Because during the course of the exhibit, the new general manager of Arizona PBS visited the exhibition and she was so taken by it. She said, “We’ve just we’ve got to do a documentary about this.”

So we’ve been working on that for the last year and a half, and right as we speak, our videographer is in New York getting ready. Tomorrow we’ll be interviewing a historian and academic that has done lots of research on American protests through textiles.

ROBRT PELA: Where and when will we find the documentary?

ANN MORTON: Well, I think our goal is to do post-production over the summer and have it in the hands of Arizona PBS in the fall. And I think all of our goals is to have it on the air for the 2024 election season. So, we’ll see.

ROBRT PELA: What part of this project has surprised you?

ANN MORTON: I think first and foremost, the makers themselves and how you can just have this very earnest desire to to say something and put it out there and learn that there’s lots of people that feel that way and are willing and able to step up and and and join in and go along with it.

That’s just really gratifying as an artist. You know, my art is centered around textiles, so that’s my own personal art. But a big part of my practice is the orchestration of these large projects, and I get so much energy and inspiration from the people that participate.

LAUREN GILGER: That was KJZZ contributor Robrt Pela speaking with artist Ann Morton, and this is The Show.

KJZZ's The Show transcripts are created for audience accessibility. Transcripts are created on deadline with the assistance of AI tools and then edited, and may not be in their final form. The authoritative record of KJZZ's programming is the audio segment.