Kathryn Pope 

Artist Statement: COVID Relief Scarf

In December 2020, after a summer of orange and red, Los Angeles County was purple. On the state website, the image looked like a bruise spanning the map of California. I found myself checking the site every day, many times a day. On New Year’s, I began creating my own map, which I’ve been calling a COVID Relief Scarf. For each day of 2021, there are two rows of knitting in Los Angeles County’s current threat level. The scarf is a kind of timeline, with seed stitch mimicking protein spikes. Knitting the scarf over the past year has shaped my grief and fear. Some rows carry loss. Others include hopeful vigilance. The scarf is dedicated to everyone who has lost someone, everyone who has faced illness, and everyone we have lost. May this hard time bring a future of caring, regeneration, and deep democracy.

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Biography: Kathryn Pope
When Kathryn is not knitting or spinning yarn, she works as a faculty member here at Antioch. Her knitting has appeared in previous Artistic Uprisings and in her living room, probably next to a cup of tea.