Photo: Shaun Roberts
Adia Millett is included in a new group exhibition at the Saint Joseph's Art Foundation. Packing and Cracking features quilts and fiber-based artworks that explore the effects of gerrymandering on communities across the United States.
In 1812, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signed a bill creating a partisan district in Boston. A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette likened the district to a salamander, coining the term “gerrymandering” — the intentional distortion of political boundaries to favor one party. This practice operates through “packing,” which consolidates a party's voting power in a single district, and “cracking,” which spreads voters across multiple districts to dilute their influence.
The Bay Area has a long history of using craft as a form of political activism. Quilting and fiber art serve as particularly potent metaphors, equating the humanity of a hand-stitched quilt with the sanctity of a hand-marked ballot, and emphasizing the principle of "One person, One vote." These artworks invite discussions on civil rights, women's reproductive health, immigration, climate justice, and identity.
Learn more at saintjosephsartssociety.com
