After traditional Chilean arpilleras
Created by Brooke Nowling and the kids of Spokane in 2026
On repurposed burlap coffee bags with secondhand yarns, tempera paint, scrap fabric, beads, and found objects.
This piece is 4' x 8'
Nine years old was started in June 2026 at the 33 Artists/Manito Art Festival. I set up a stretched burlap canvas and invited kids to embroider with me. We stitched side by side, laughed, played games, painted, made wishes, and soaked in the early summer sun. I took our piece back to the studio to tie literal loose ends and to uncover its collective voice. Meanwhile, in Dilley, Texas, children were (and still are being) imprisoned in an ICE detention center without enough food, mental or physical healthcare. They sleep amongst cockroaches, their art supplies are taken away, their food is moldy, and they are held well beyond the legal limit of 20 days. (But still, why is it ever legal to put a child in jail?!)
The plea “I am nine years old. Can you help me get out of this jail? We are children.” comes from a letter written by a child jailed in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. The Chilean arpilleras (more detail here), which inspired this project, were created to tell the stories of disappeared loved ones. Our collaborative piece, created with love and joy, amplifies the voices of children unjustly detained by the United States government. It is wrong and unfair that children are treated horribly because of the color of their skin or where they were born. I’m so proud of this piece, of what we all made. I am grateful for the privilege of being able to play, to make art with all our kids, and to use my voice to call out injustice when I see it.
If you, too, think it is wrong to violently imprison children, please consider what part you can play in stopping the United States government from perpetuating these horrors. Might I suggest voting out lawmakers who do not actively fight against racist xenophobia, sharing these stories, or donating to organizations that support immigrants like the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.