Love Armor Project
Love Armor
Project
Conceived January 2007 — Premiered September 6, 2008 — Ongoing
Overview
A nationwide collaborative artwork in which over 70 knitters and artists from across the country created a knitted cozy for a Humvee M1026 — 15′ × 7′ × 6′ — transforming a war icon into a symbol of peace and hope. The work premiered at the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, September 6, 2008, and has traveled and continued to evolve.
Origin
The Love Armor project began as a means to show concern for both our military and the civilian populace in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. A statement of purpose and an invitation to participate in this huge collaborative project was sent out to knitters and artists in 2007. Our challenge was to transform a war icon into a symbol of peace and hope.
Artist Statement
January 2007, having been outraged by what I read in the NY Times about our troops not being properly protected on the roads in Iraq & Afghanistan, I started conceptualizing my Love Armor Project, a nationwide collaborative project, to show concern and compassion. Realized in 2008 through the participation of over 70 artists and knitters from across the country, it premiered in Santa Fe, NM and traveled. We brought people from all walks of life together with a "unified humanist voice".
From the Archive
Project Development
In 2007, Shirley Klinghoffer sent a statement of purpose and an invitation to participate to knitters and artists across the country. The challenge: to transform a war machine into an object of care, comfort, and collective voice.
Over 70 contributors responded. The resulting work — a full-scale knitted cozy for a Humvee — became both a sculptural object and a community act, premiering at the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, in 2008.
Video Documentation
Exhibition and Presentation History
Love Armor (collaborator Sarah Hewitt)
Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA), Munoz/Waxman Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Love Armor
Crane Arts / Ice Box Project Space, Philadelphia, PA
Love Armor
Brenda Taylor Gallery, New York City
Love Armor 10th Anniversary Exhibition & Community Outreach Program (in collaboration with New Mexico Arts & the Military)
Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM
Press
Fiber Arts Magazine
"Love Armor Project" — Kathaleen Roberts.
THE Magazine
"The Love Armor Project" — Jon Carver.
Americans for the Arts
"The Arts Say Thank You to Our Veterans and Active Duty Military" — Robert L. Lynch.
Read →Photography credit to be confirmed. All images © Shirley Klinghoffer.
© Shirley Klinghoffer, Santa Fe, New Mexico. All Rights Reserved.