Many Hands, One World – Quilts from the Refinery Corridor Healing Walks

Many Hands, One World – Quilts from the Refinery Corridor Healing Walks
Exhibition: January 24 – March 16, 2024
Reception: Saturday, January 27, 2024, 2pm-4pm
Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Led by Indigenous women in prayer, over a thousand people walked hundreds of miles over four years, connecting one fossil-fuel impacted community to another along the northeast San Francisco Bay. The term “Refinery Corridor” was born from these walks between 2014 and 2017, which began with WesPac (defeated by community organizing) in Pittsburg, Shell and Tesoro Refineries in Martinez, Valero Refinery in Benicia, Conoco Phillips 66 Refinery in Rodeo, and Chevron Refinery in Richmond. Participants were invited to share their hopes and dreams about the safe, sustainable future they imagined at the end of each walk. The quilts in this exhibition are the result of the walkers envisioning a healthier world.
Idle No More SF Bay statement: Idle No More SF Bay is a multi-generational, Native-women-led grassroots, all volunteer organization dedicated to climate change activism. Founded in 2013, our mission is to creatively do everything we can to ensure the future for the coming generations by addressing environmental harms caused by extreme energy. We focus on what we are for: clean air, water and soil, safe jobs and a sustainable future for the generations beyond. Rooted in Native traditions, we bring an indigenous perspective and leadership to climate justice work. We know that we are all related in the sacred system of life. We pray, conduct teach-ins, coordinate local non-violent direct actions and encourage people to envision the future they want to help create, and work with other groups who resist the fossil fuel industry.