TheMourningProject.com is a unique data visualization that lies at the intersection of art and public health.
We have reached our goal to create a pair of baby booties (shoes)—a little handmade elegy—for each American infant lost before their first birthday each year. The US has the worst infant mortality rate in the developed world. This issue disproportionately affects poor, rural, and BIPOC communities.
Gathered together, the 20,000+ booties create a picture of this problem that is too big to ignore. Thousands of volunteer makers from across the country have sewn, knitted, or crocheted each pair. As one maker put it, My love is in every stitch.
The collection phase of the project is complete. We now need funding to implement the full installation plan, purchase cardboard shipping crates, and the first-ever display of all 20,000+ pairs of baby shoes.
The first complete exhibition is called The Mourning Project: Infant Loss Visualized will be in Tucson on October 21, 2023 at Children's Memorial Park, at an event co-hosted by the March of Dimes-Arizona Chapter and The Center for Compassion. Makers, loss families, the media, and lawmakers will have the opportunity to dialogue around this issue as it happens locally. After that, the installation will travel to advocacy events around the country. Plans are in the works for more events in 2024.
The installation calls for connecting the booties into a portable touring installation that will form the image of a broken heart with baby feet. As of March 2023, we have 200+ fabric squares with 100 pairs of booties on each. Those squares must be attached together to form the installation image, which will be 38 feet by 38 feet when complete.
Ultimately, we seek to save the lives of American babies while highlighting the need for better health care and support services for grieving families. Your financial gifts will support the installation materials and exhibition of the booties, video documentation, and reusable shipping crates.
When exhibitions are complete, the baby booties will be donated to agencies that serve infants
Be a part of this compelling project and help save little lives.
