About
Embroidering for Peace and Memory is an annual event at the University of North Florida (UNF) that celebrates diversity and human rights. We believe that collective embroidery is activism. Therefore, we invite students, teachers, and staff from all over the campus to embroider together, on white fabrics, messages of peace and the stories of people from all over the world who have suffered the violation of their rights. The project began in 2012 and, to date, approximately 600 pieces of embroidery have been produced in more than 13 languages, highlighting the culture and diversity of UNF and the North Florida community. In recent years, this project has also involved students from Stanton College Preparatory High School. To highlight the importance of this initiative at our university, and to share it with the world, we have created the Embroidering for Peace and Memory Digital Archive.
Constanza López, associate professor of Spanish, leads this project with support from the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Digital Humanities Institute, the Hicks Honors College, and the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs. UNF student and project intern Rebecca Weiner built this website in 2017 using the open-source platform Omeka. Our site contains photographs of the embroidery, the personal stories behind the pieces, and metadata that makes the materials searchable and sortable by predefined categories.
Graphic design and digital media major Anna Breede is the project's student intern in Spring 2023, with support through the student internship program operated by the UNF Digital Humanities Institute.
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