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Following my DACA public expose on CPR last year during my Leon Gallery art show, against the contrary I have found great support and relief from the undocumented DACA community in Colorado. Since then I was fortunate to be approached by multiple in state organizations that specifically work with immigrant and refugee rights, one of which was Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC).

I first got in collaboration with CIRC summer of 2018 after proposing a community art project using shoe as motif based on the idea of connecting immigrant, refugee and indigenous communities through the power of art. Shortly after, CIRC and I came up with the project title – “Bridging Cultures: Where Has Your Shoe Been”. CIRC also generously provided grant to help cover all project related material costs and hosted initial project workshop in their building. The project was originally meant to be a one stop shop but I felt more could be added to the canvas and grew the idea to continue touring the project throughout few more collaborating host venue stops in Denver.

Throughout 2018 and 2019 I was able to collaborate with TedxMileHigh, Museuo De Las America, University of Denver, and United Leaders in Higher Education at Auraria to help complete the canvas with art. In touring the project, I learned the value of intersectionality through the power of collaboration. Through collaboration, Bridging Cultures project took a life of its own. In August 2019, the Bridging Cultures project came to an official end. Each of the collaborating partners helped shape, define and add meaning to the metamorphosis of what the project has evolved to today.

Bridging Cultures last workshop stop at University of Denver in May 2019. I cherish my collaboration with CIRC. It was a wonderful learning partnership, thank you CIRC!

In moving forward, I wanted to pay homage to Bridging Cultures and created a new version of the project called “Sole Patchwork of Life”. The experiences collected from Bridging Cultures became a precursor to Soles of Life project.

About Soles Patchwork of Life

Tell us the journey your shoes have been on.

Soles Patchwork of Life is a touring, community civic engagement art project by artist Eriko Tsogo. The 8 hour workshop runs one day and uses the power of storytelling, art, writing, performance and community to bring and bridge cultures together.

An old American proverb recalls, “you can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” In this spirit, we invite you to come create a community art project using the power of storytelling, art, and writing to bridge cultures and bring different communities together to learn from one another.

In order to participate, participants can bring a shoe from their culture or any favorite shoe or they can use the shoe they are wearing and / or illustrate their traditional / cultural shoe or a shoe that has significance to them.

Afterwards, the community art project will be available for display and photo ops.

Workshop Outline

• Workshop runs ONE DAY for 8 hours with 2-hour setup/breakdown prep time. All details to be discussed with Host Collaborator/Institute.
• Workshop is open and free to everyone and every age, children under 12 please be accompanied by adult.
• Optional: Interested participants please bring atleast ONE or more traditional shoe from your culture. Participants who do not bring a shoe can use the shoe they are wearing on the day of workshop or even trace their barefoot.

Workshop will start with artist introduction followed by live art “shoe tracing demo” on the main “tree of life canvas” placed on the floor.

Once enough people have arrived by the start of the workshop, we will get into a circular formation and the rest of the group can continue to introduce themselves/share their cultural shoes with the group until everyone has shared their story around the circle.

The main canvas on the floor has the “tree of life” and branches outlined in paint. Each shoe imprint represents a leaf. Using the provided art supplies (permanent markers and acrylic paint), participants can trace their shoe(s)/sole however many times and wherever they would like throughout the canvas. The end goal is to fully populate the canvas with shoe imprint leafs, until our tree of life has grown into a fully-grown lush tree.

Within each shoe imprint, participants get a chance to share their origin/immigration stories by writing about themselves and their cultural ancestry. Suggested writing topics:

“Where has your shoe been?”
“What is your immigration story?”
“If you could walk a mile in someone’s shoe, who would it be and why?”
“What does your cultural or traditional shoe look like?”
“If you were a shoe, what kind of shoe would you be and why?

Mission / History:

Soles Patchwork of Life is a touring community civic engagement project that shares similar workshop properties as Bridging Cultures preliminary project. Soles of Life is specifically designed to tour and activate the 11 Denver Council Districts. Every month, Soles Patchwork of Life will make a stop at two Denver Council Districts and partner with two separate “host” educational organization venues for a one-day / six-hour workshop. Each workshop acts like a mini event, providing ample workshop supplies and amenities (food, drinks, music, project souvenirs and optional fun photo-op station) for all participants.

Soles Patchwork of Life project has mission to tour America in all its scope; the 50 US states, completing one large shoe canvas per state. Each state canvas will have the “Tree of Life” [Soles of Life] motif painted in traditional Mongolian ornamental design patterns using the corresponding state flag colors.

From September 2019 – February 2020, Soles Patchwork of Life project is scheduled to tour the state of Colorado.

After each touring state canvas is rendered complete, the current state canvas will be woven together with the previous state canvas by participants following the age old American “quilting, weaving history / tapestry art” tradition. Upon successful project completion, Soles Patchwork of Life will create the “largest shoe canvas patchwork tapestry” to date in US history.

Symbolically, the ending tapestry would resemble a map/portrait of US immigration history told through the diaspora of first person immigrant narrative recollection. The completed large-scale canvas tapestry seeks to be exhibited at the US capitol, Washington DC for a single day public unveiling event at the Washington Monument.

Social media handles:
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Sole Patchwork of Life project: Colorado Tour is made possible by generous grant funding from the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs in support of DOCA’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion values / in commitment to the City’s Race & Social Justice Initiatives.