Author: Theda Sandiford

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Reflecting on the Emotional Baggage Cart Parade at Art in Odd Places Festival

I’m still on cloud nine—and a bit exhausted—after the Emotional Baggage Cart Parade, which took place along 14th Street in Manhattan from October 18-20 as part of the Art in Odd Places (AiOP) Festival. For three days, this public art initiative invited people to acknowledge and lighten the psychological burdens we all carry daily. Ordinary shopping carts were transformed into mobile art installations, offering a powerful visual and interactive metaphor for the emotional baggage we accumulate.

Over 500 participants came together to confront and symbolically release their own burdens, creating a profound experience of communal healing and empathy. As I edit stories for a series of videos showcasing the interactions and personal stories from the event, I am deeply moved by how this project resonated with so many.

My deepest thanks go out to the incredible parade team—without you, none of this would have been possible. April Tracey, Ivy Brown, Amy Andrieux, Anne Choi, Ulysses Williams, Gigi Matthews, Maria Ross, Farai Chideya, Cheryl Mack, Bryant Small, Valerie Huhn, Susan Evans Grove, Lucy Rovetto, Donna Kessinger, Maria & Shalik Thomas and family, Ivy Brown Gallery, Kangaroo Courier, and CustomSashs.com—thank you all for your invaluable support and contributions.

A special thank you to Patricia Miranda and Christopher Kaczmarek, curators of Art in Odd Places 2024: CARE, along with Curatorial Manager Valentina Zamora, Producer Robin Schatell, and AiOP Founder & Director Ed Woodham, for providing such a thoughtful and inclusive space for art and community.

Stay tuned for the video series that captures these moments of shared release and resilience. Until then, I’ll be reflecting on the magic that happens when art becomes a space for connection, healing, and transformation.

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Im Taking a Ghost Tour of Old Town Albuquerque

Ghostly image of a weeping woman with long dark hair by a river flowing through a cemetery

I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal, ever since I was a kid. Ghost stories, strange encounters, and unexplained events have a way of capturing my imagination, and soon, I’ll be diving into that world again during the Ghost Tour of Old Town Albuquerque. As part of the American Folklore Society gathering, this tour feels like the perfect mix of history and the supernatural.

The tour will take place in Albuquerque’s Old Town, a place steeped in history. This area, with its adobe buildings and centuries-old streets, seems like the ideal setting for ghost stories. The fact that the city dates back to 1706 makes it feel even more like the kind of place where the past and present overlap, where you might just sense something from another time.

What excites me most is the opportunity to explore this part of the city through its haunted history. I’m eager to hear about the legendary La Llorona, and to learn about the spirits said to linger in the old buildings. There’s something captivating about the idea of walking through spaces that have witnessed so much life—and maybe even death. It feels like a way of connecting to the city on a deeper level, where history isn’t just something you read about, but something you might feel in the air.

I’m also really looking forward to experiencing Gabino Noriega’s storytelling. I’m sure his knowledge of local folklore will bring these tales to life in a way that lets us glimpse into Albuquerque’s ghostly past. It’s a chance to not just hear stories but to feel them, surrounded by the very streets and buildings where these legends were born.

For me, this isn’t just about ghost stories, though. It’s about how folklore gives us a way to engage with history, to connect with the past in a way that’s personal, even emotional. I can’t wait to see what Old Town has in store.

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‘Merica: Emotional Baggage Cart

Theda Sandiford Merica Emotional Baggage Cart 42 x 24 x 42 in Gold painted recovered shopping cart with a bicycle bell, woven with plastic grocery & newspaper bags, paracord, jute, flag bunting, and cotton patriotic placemats, LED light. 2024


During a recent artist residency in the Allegheny Mountains, a trip to the local Walmart for supplies reminded me that I was in Trump territory and very much “not from around these parts.” This experience brought into sharp focus a part of America I rarely see from within the confines of inner-city enclaves—a landscape marked by cultural and political divides. This work explores these tensions, reflecting on the ways geography, class, race and identity intersect, and aims to create a dialogue that bridges the gaps between urban and rural, familiar and unfamiliar, us and them. I seek to find common ground, to understand the stories under the surface, and to challenge preconceived notions with empathy and curiosity.

Theda Sandiford
Merica Emotional Baggage Cart
42 x 24 x 42 in
2024
Theda Sandiford
Merica: Emotional Baggage Cart
42 x 24 x 42 in
2024
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Textile Alchemy Workshop

Take a virtual workshop with me.

Textile Alchemy with Theda Sandiford
Saturday, March 8 + Saturday, March 15 with a midweek meetup

“Textile Alchemy” is an engaging and innovative workshop that combines the exploration of different environments—beaches, urban areas, and even our own closets—to source unique materials for textile art. Participants will learn how to source and creatively utilize found and upcycled materials from diverse environments to craft meaningful and sustainable textile pieces. The workshop emphasizes sustainability, resourcefulness, and innovation, encouraging participants to find artistic potential in the most unexpected places. By embracing a zero-waste philosophy, this workshop invites participants to turn what might be considered “waste” into “wonder.”

Click to learn more

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November & Beyond Blog

THIS MONTH

Free Your Mind at American Folklore Society Annual Conference

Dates: November 6- 9

Location: Albuquerque NM

2024 Textile Society of America Symposium:”Shifts and Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles”

Dates: November 12-17

Location: Zoom 

ONGOING

Beyond: Tapestry Expanded

Exhibition Dates: August 26- December 15

Location: Peeler Art Center at DePauw University; 204 E. Seminary St., Greencastle IN  

Radical Reimagining

Dates: October 9 – December 1

Location: Newark Museum of Art; 49 Washington St, Newark, NJ

NEXT 

This Easter 2025, McCarty and I are heading to Rome, and I can hardly contain my excitement. Rome has been on my travel list for as long as I can remember, and the fact that we’re going for Easter makes it all the more special. There’s so much to take in, and I’m already imagining all the incredible sights, sounds, and—let’s be honest—tastes we’re going to experience. I’m looking forward to the entire experience—soaking in the art, the history, the food, and, of course, the company.

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Book Review: All That She Carried

I recently read All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles as part of MAFA’s Book Club like a voracious bear. The book tells the powerful story of a simple cotton sack passed down through generations of Black women, starting with Rose, who gave it to her daughter Ashley before they were separated by slavery. The sack, filled with a few precious items and Rose’s love, became a family keepsake that represents resilience, survival, and maternal love.

What struck me most is how Miles uses this one object to explore the broader legacy of slavery and the ways Black women preserved their families’ stories and histories through small, meaningful acts. The book’s detailed research into Pecans ties back to the current research I am doing on Provision Grounds  and really gave me some direction on how I want to craft the storytelling in my own project. It’s a reminder that objects can carry so much more than their physical form—they hold memories, connections, and emotions that transcend time.

This book made me think deeply about the significance of the materials we use and the stories they carry, something I relate to in my own creative practice. If you’re looking for a moving exploration of history, family, and resilience, I highly recommend this book.

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History of Denim

Blue jeans have a history deeply rooted in slavery, as the fabric used to make them—denim—was originally produced from cotton grown by enslaved people in the American South. Cotton was one of the primary crops cultivated on plantations using forced labor, and the profits from this industry fueled the global textile trade. Additionally, enslaved people often wore durable, rugged fabrics like denim, providing the blueprint for the hard-wearing, utilitarian nature of blue jeans. Thus, while today blue jeans symbolize casual, everyday wear, their origins are intertwined with the exploitation and suffering of enslaved Black laborers.

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Sneak Peek Beyond: Tapestry Expanded

Step into Beyond: Tapestry Expanded and experience Blackity Black Blanket Ladders, a powerful visual statement on resilience and protection. Crafted from commercial fishing nets and black zip ties, these striking ladders symbolize the climb out of racial gaslighting and into self-empowerment.

American Tapestry Association’s Beyond: Tapestry Expanded

Exhibition Dates: August 26- December 15Location: Peeler Art Center at DePauw University; 204 E. Seminary St., Greencastle IN