‘GROUND COVER’
Art projects rarely involve 600 people working across two countries.
But for Phoenix artist Ann Morton, that was the only way “Ground Cover” could work.
“Ground Cover” consists of 300 blankets handmade by volunteers from the United States and Canada — most of whom Morton has never met. On Friday, Dec. 6, other volunteers will arrange the blankets in an empty lot south of Roosevelt Row, creating a bird’s-eye view of desert flowers measuring 116 feet by 50 feet.
After the installation is taken down, the blankets, which are unique to the style and personality of each “blanketeer,” will be donated to homeless agencies across metro Phoenix.
“‘Ground Cover’ is a play on words because you think of plants and flowers, but you also think of peo- When: The installation will be on display from 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, through 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Where: The northwestern corner of First and McKinley streets, Phoenix. Admission: Free. Details: groundcoveraz.com.
ple on the ground, the homeless,” said Morton, 58, a graphic designer for 30 years.
To her, the project is much more than art for a good cause. “Ground Cover” nurtured a deep sense of community across generations and social strata, she said; it fortified her faith in the kindness and caring of strangers, and it brought attention to the plight of the homeless.
The beginnings
The idea started with a callout from the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program, which had received a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to divide among projects. The department began searching for temporary public-arts projects to bring attention to empty spaces along the light-rail corridor. Morton’s is one of three projects that have gone up or are planned for this year.
Rebecca Rothman, public-art project manager for Phoenix, said Morton’s project easily fit the panel’s criteria.
“It was so communitybased and kind of all encompassing and everything we hoped we could get out of temporary projects,” Rothman said. “It physically has a presence in the empty space; it was connected to the community downtown ... and brought in makers of all kinds, both professional artists and volunteers; and it was multigenerational, as well.”
Morton was 49 when she learned to knit and crochet. In 2006, she returned to school, earning her bachelor’s degree in fibers and her Master of Fine Arts at Arizona State University.
Determined to combine artwork with the social issue of homelessness, she developed the Street Gems project at the Lodestar Day Resource Center in downtown Phoenix, teaching individuals how to make jewelry and crafts to sell, and 13 Fridays, inviting volunteers to knit hats and scarves for people in need.
For “Ground Cover,” Morton tackled the immense organization required to assemble the project, which included assigning each blanket and creating personalized color charts and handwritten notes for all the blanketeers. She partnered with Phoenix art gallery Eye Lounge to display the blankets and coordinated drop-off sites throughout the city.
Morton started the project in late February by sending a call out to her knitting group and to her friends who craft. Initially, she was fearful she wouldn’t get enough people to participate.
But things snowballed once word got out to the yarn and fiber shops, to crafter mailing lists, to a knitting and crocheting community website called Ravelry and to friends of friends. Morton soon had responses from California, New York, Illinois, Montana, Minnesota and Canada. Everyone wanted to help.
“To reach so many people, it gave me faith, and it was so heartwarming that people were willing to get involved,” she said. “By mid-May, we were completely booked, and then I had to start a waiting list.”
In Shik Lee, 52, of New York, found out about “Ground Cover” through college friend Cattryn Somers, 50, of Paradise Valley, who also is a friend of Morton’s. Lee enlisted a group of friends to put a blanket together and hosted knitting get-togethers.
“It was a fairly doable project for every individual, and by doing a little part, it would still help a bigger cause,” Lee said. “Through Ann’s exquisite organization, the website and Facebook page, I felt engaged immediately. And no one’s judging if it’s ugly or badly done; as long as it’s a blanket, it’s well-intentioned.”
The organization
Each blanket consists of 28 10-inch squares; it was the crafter’s choice whether to knit, crochet or quilt. Morton and a friend created detailed color charts with yarn and fabric samples of the exact reds, oranges, browns and greens needed to create the overall effect she envisioned.
The blanketeers had the freedom to make the blankets as simple or complex as they wished.
Judy Riden, 72, of Tempe, consulted an afghan-pattern book to