PITTSBURGHERS ARE MAKING WELCOME BLANKETS TO BRING COMFORT TO REFUGEES. THEY COME WITH A TAG FROM THE CRAFTER WITH THAT PERSON’S OWN IMMIGRATION STORY AND A WORD OF WELCOME. | PHOTO BY DELANEY PIPON

As the yearly autumn chill rolls over Pittsburgh, blankets are likely at the forefront of our minds. In the words of Johannah Hutchison, executive director of the International Sculpture Center in Lawrenceville, blankets are healing — “warm, comforting and full of care.”

This year, the center — which just opened the headquarters of its 60-year-old organization in Pittsburgh — is encouraging those in the Steel City to weave this warmth into blankets that will travel from living rooms to art galleries to the arms of local refugee families.

On Nov. 6, the center not only celebrates its grand opening, but will launch the first citywide Welcome Blanket Project — an effort to show what happens when an entire community commits to welcome.

“Nobody has adopted a citywide program before,” Hutchison says. “Of course, Pittsburgh would be the city.”

Why Pittsburgh? “This is a real community‑oriented city. They really band together, and there’s a real sense of welcome,” she says.

The Welcome Blanket Project began in 2017 when Los Angeles-based artist Jayna Zweiman asked: What if instead of building a 2,000-mile wall [along the southern U.S. border] to keep people out, we created 2,000 miles of yarn to welcome people in?

Crafters make 40-inch-by-40-inch blankets using whatever method they prefer — knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting. Each blanket comes with a note, either sharing a personal immigration story or simply offering a welcome. The blankets are first displayed in the center — located at 5126 Butler St. — as an art exhibition, then distributed to newly arrived refugees through resettlement organizations.

For years the project has unfolded in scattered pockets across America. Pittsburgh, however, is aiming for a coordinated, citywide effort that runs from Nov. 6 through the end of March 2026.

SAMPLES OF WELCOME BLANKETS. | PHOTO BY DELANEY PIPON

This does not need to be an individual “take-home, bring-back” project. In fact, participants are encouraged to embrace the community born from collaboration and conversation — whether it be a monthly yarn club, a knitting circle, or just a pair of roommates.

“My parents’ generation, even my grandmother’s generation had sewing circles, knitting circles… It was a space for you to be safe, to vent, to connect,” says Barb Grossman, founder of Scrapwerx — a zero-waste fabric initiative — and resident of Wilkins.

The Welcome Blanket Project revives that communal spirit with a new purpose.

“It’s a nice continuation of what our ancestors did — and a recognition of its importance,” she says.

If you’re keen to get involved, but have never picked up a crochet hook — don’t be intimidated. Experience isn’t necessary, and creativity is met with enthusiasm.

“The blanket is 40 inches by 40 inches, which is not too daunting for one person to do,” Hutchison notes.

The only guideline: “No obscene language or gestures…these are going to families.”

Hutchison, who moved to Pittsburgh from England, pulls out a few examples: woven squares, Tunisian crocheting, simple-straight knitting. She’s working on a blanket herself, collecting flowers and plants from different Pittsburgh neighborhoods to create cyanotype prints.

Her first blanket came with some practical advice from her own experience moving from England: “Make sure you close your windows and doors if you put the air-conditioning on!”

“What does [this project] have to do with sculpture? A lot,” she says. “Our goal is to educate people how art can affect social change.”

The gallery specializes in soft sculpture and employs a straightforward standard, one that holds true across every medium of art: “If you look at something — does it move you? That’s really it.”

“We thought this was an important way to activate our members’ participation in the relationship between the welcome blanket using soft material and starting a conversation,” says Asa Sloss, the center’s program and event manager.

Beginning Nov. 6, the International Sculpture Gallery becomes a drop-in workspace, complete with its own yarn closet.

“People can come in and just sew for a little bit, or knit for a little bit, and that will go on right till the end of March,” Grossman says.

For those who prefer to work at home, completed blankets can be dropped off at the gallery during regular hours throughout the exhibition period.

“We want to get a critical mass of blankets up so people can see what it is and get excited,” Hutchison says. “We hope when people see what’s happening, they think, ‘Oh, I can do that.'”

Although the exhibition will officially open on Nov. 6, the gallery is accepting contributions through March 2026.

In an era where polarization is oftentimes the default, the Welcome Blanket Project offers an alternative approach.

According to Hutchison, they offer people “a way to express themselves about immigration that is gentle, thoughtful, and meaningful,”  with busy hearts and hands.