ABOUT US:

Welcome Blanket is a national craft project and nonprofit organization that transforms the often-divisive conversation around immigration into a tangible expression of care, creativity, connection, and shared humanity. By combining storytelling with handmade blankets, the project creates both symbolic and literal warmth to welcome new immigrants into U.S. communities. 

Across the country, participants handcraft blankets and write welcome notes, sharing family stories of immigration, migration, and relocation. Makers range in age from 4 to 104, representing diverse backgrounds, identities, levels of craft experience, and immigration histories. They follow simple guidelines: a 40” x 40” blanket crafted in any medium that is easy to care for, and hard to give away (because it’s made with love).

Welcome Blankets are displayed collectively in museums and community spaces before being gifted directly to refugees and immigrants through Welcome Blanket’s 30+ partner organizations. Since its inception in 2017, over 7,500 blankets have been created and gifted.

The Welcome Blankets in this exhibition were made by California-based creators. Their families include Indigenous people, Mayflower descendants, and recent immigrants. These heirlooms—knit, quilted, woven, crocheted, sewn, and mixed media crafted independently and in groups—will be distributed to new neighbors through local refugee organizations, including Miry’s List and IRC-LA.

Welcome Blanket’s goal is to build a new American tradition of welcome. Through these blankets and stories, Welcome Blanket invites everyone to reflect on the shared experience of starting a new chapter.