 Panel 1, Side A |
 Panel 1, Side B |
 Panel 2, Side A |
 Panel 2 Side B |
 Panel 3, Side A |
 Panel 3, Side B |
 Panel 4, Side A |
 Panel 4, Side B |
 Gallery Panel 5, Side A |
 Panel 5, Side B |
 Gallery Panel 6, Side A |
JOIN US!!
To be a part of the Border Wall Quilt Project, create and donate up to 3 small quilted pieces, 8” x 16”, expressing your ideas, concerns, and opinions about the proposed border wall between the US and Mexico and issues related to immigration. Under the direction of fiber artist Lea McComas, these small quilts will be used as “bricks” to build a wall about the wall. This isn’t a juried exhibition; we intent to use all bricks that follow project guidelines. The wall will continue grow as more, and more, bricks are donated. Along with your bricks, please donate $20 to help cover the costs of exhibiting the project. See the full prospectus for this project
You can also support the Border Wall Quilt Project without making a brick?
Click the DONATE button below to pay your entry fee online, or to support the project financially. The Border Wall Quilt Project is a non-profit 401(c)3. Your contribution is tax deductible.
All funds will be used to maintain, ship, and insure the exhibit as it travels.
Here is an update on where the project stands…
September 2019
The BWQP returns to the church setting in Arvada, Colorado. This United Methodist Church held a public forum with where visitors sat in a circle to share thoughts and ideas. The focus was on being able to hear and understand an opposing idea. It would be great to sponsor more of these events in conjunction with future exhibitions.
Summer 2019
We return to Washington , DC, as George Washington University, School of Art Therapy hosts the BWQP June -August. Five of our artists come to speak about their work at the opening reception.
Our online registration system is closed so that funds can go to travel of the exhibit, but artists can still register using the mail-in form provided on our site.
March 2019
The BWQP exhibits in a church setting in Ft. Collins , Colorado. This is a sanctuary church where border issues are frequently discussed.
February 2019
The BWQP makes its international debut at the Quilter de Mexico Festival in Mexico City. The wall is set up across the exhibit space, dividing it in half. Viewers must walk to the sides of the room to get around.
December 2018
We at the BWQP are taking a bit of time to enjoy family & friend, and hope that you are doing the same.
Fewer bricks are coming in, and for now, that’s OK. However, after the new year, we will be gearing for another push. Our new year’s resolution is to build 2 more complete panels by the end of March. Please spread the word.
October 2018
We have 240 bricks, from 137 artists. From these, we have created four 10-foot panels with 30 works of are on each side. Since each panel is 2-sided, that adds up to 80 feet of wall exhibit.
Last month, the BWQP traveled to the San Diego Quilt Show, and the Ellipse on the White House grounds in Washington, DC. See photos below.
The online galleries have now been updated and are complete and you can find them at the top of this page. This was a huge effort, but finally completed. Each gallery has has thumbnail images for each brick on that panel, and side. The artist name and statement can been viewed by clicking on the the thumbnail.
The BWQP is meant to promote civil discourse and present all side of the issues related to the border wall and immigration, but the majority of works submitted propose a more open immigration policy and are anti-wall (the real one, not ours). I believe it’s important to get a more diverse presentation that includes a other points of view and am actively seeking artwork that presents other perspectives. If you are one of those people, and want to contribute, please
It’s not a discussion if one side does almost all of the talking.
Finally, it’s time to get more venues lined up. This will be another priority in the coming weeks. If you know of a possible venue, please send the information to me: Lea@LeaMcComas.com.
BWQP in San Diego:
September 1
Getting ready to share directions for making your own section of wall. Here is our beta testing crew at work. Make it a guild challenge, or
have your guild challenge another guild. It takes 30 bricks for each side of the wall.
August 23
YES, It’s official. We have our National Park Service permit to set up our exhibit in Washington, DC. We won’t be on the mall, though. . . WE’RE TAKING THE WALL TO THE WHITE HOUSE!! 
On September 29-30 (last weekend in September) we’ll be set up in the southeast quadrant of the Elipse on the White House Grounds. The Elipse is where the National Christmas tree stands. If you are in town, look for us there.
August 20
Tonight we are set up in a community center in Arvada, CO. for the Front Range Contemporary Quilt guild. Many of our early artists came froths group. Indoors, is an easy set up.
August 11
Today we are in Lyons, CO for the outdoor quilt festival. This is our outdoor dress rehearsal. We estimate that over 1000 people walked through out exhibit today.
It was not all smooth sailing. An early gust of wind took us down, but the crowd gathered to help us stand it back up and weight down the upright poles with big rocks.
It was a long hot day. After reflection, we were happy not to have gotten permission to show in Washington DC in August. Hopefully, we’ll put that trip together for September
August 5
We now have T-shirts for our Border Wall Ambassadors to where at the exhibits. This way, you’ll know to to go to with questions and comments.
July 2018
Section 2 of the wall is under construction . I try to arrange bricks so that each has something in common, or relates to the bricks around it in theme, color, or visual elements.
I organize the entire panel on the ground.
Then bricks are fixed, back-to-back, on a skeleton of ribbon that allows for viewers on each side to see through the wall. Here is Panel 1, Side B.
June 2018
The bricks are arriving. The high point of my day is going to the mailbox and finding a new package addressed to the Border Wall Quilt Project.
May 9, 2018
1st brick by Denise Labadie
YES!! The first brick has arrived. A big thank you and shout out to Denise Labadie, who took time away from here stone quilts to make a brick.
Confused by the call for entry? Send me an email and ask a question: lea@leamccomas.com. Your questions help me edit the call for entry and make it more understandable for those that come after you.
Thanks for you help!
The call for entry went live today, May 1. A short description of the project is included below, but if you are intrigued and want to know more, follow this link for a full prospectus and entry forms.
Theme:
We’re building a wall that brings people together, to talk about building a wall that keeps people apart. Creativity is welcome; social discourse is encouraged!
General Information:
The Border Wall Quilt Project is a visual representation of a discussion about the proposed border wall between Mexico and the United States. Let’s use our medium and our skills to explore all aspects of this issue and what it would mean to those on both sides. Together, let’s consider political, environmental, cultural, and economic factors. Quilters in the United States and Mexico are invited to participate.
To be a part of the Border Wall Quilt Project, create and donate up to 3 small quilted pieces, 8” x 16” expressing your ideas, concerns, and opinions about the proposed border wall between the US and Mexico and issues related to immigration. Under the direction of fiber artist Lea McComas, these small quilts will be used as “bricks” to build a wall about the wall. This isn’t a juried exhibition; we intent to use all bricks that follow project guidelines. The wall will continue grow as more, and more, bricks are donated.
Find a full prospectus and entry forms at: borderwallquiltentry.com
