A colorful, one-of-a-kind collection of woven yarns shows that the yarn bombing has finally come to Jefferson City.
From Friday through June 24, Memorial Park will be infused with yarn art in many forms in honor of International Yarn Bombing Day on June 11.
Yarn bombing is a form of street art that uses knitted, crocheted, crocheted or cross-stitched yarn to wrap objects in public settings.
“Since they’re not permanent or disruptive, it’s a fun way to have some street art and pop-up art in your neighborhood,” says cultural arts expert Leann Porrello.
Jefferson City Parks encourages participants to use leftover yarn and scraps to create scarf-like creations—4-6 inches wide and 10-12 feet long—that can be wrapped around the park’s trees, light poles, and benches.
“It’s an interesting way to repurpose these yarns,” Porello said.
Many cities that have been participating in Yarn Bombing Days over the years allow longer to create, but yarn art in town will only be around for about two weeks to avoid damaging trees or harming wildlife.
When the yarn creations are taken down, they will be washed and reused at the next park in the area, which will be involved in the yarn bombing. If any artwork is broken or cut, it will be re-rotated so it can be used again.
“We can actually reuse the repurposed yarn we’re using,” Porrello said.
Porrello said their goal was to build out their line of yarn-bombing materials so they could work on larger projects in the city’s parks.
“As news comes out, we hope community members will come on board and create more art for us so we can grow this project,” she said.
Viewing yarn art – especially around the fitness cycle – will be free at Memorial Park, and viewers are encouraged to touch and interact with the art.
Those who want to be involved in future projects can donate used yarn or their own completed works by sending them to Linc or contacting Leann Porrello [email protected] Schedule a pickup. “The great thing about this is that it’s available year-round,” Porello said. “People can donate yarn and finished yarn projects all the time.”
