Artists Pachia L. Vang, Jamie P. Cardenas and Ren Allathkani believe cloth art does more than decorate walls. It carries memory, preserves cultural knowledge and builds connections.
The three artists, working together as Culture through Cloth, created “Threads of Belonging,” an 8-by-30-foot handwoven mural installed on an exterior wall at the Valley Hi-North Laguna Library.
The monumental textile brings together artistic traditions from three cultures: Hmong paj ntaub, Ilocano kusikus weaving and Palestinian tatreez embroidery. The work is unified by themes of migration, resilience, ancestral memory and belonging.
Rather than create the mural privately in a studio, the artists made community participation central to the process. Culture through Cloth held five public workshops where more than 100 participants learned about the textile traditions represented in the mural.
At least 40 community weavers took part in open studio sessions and contributed to the finished work.
For Vang, a Hmong textile artist, the communal process reflects the historic role textile making plays in cultural survival. “Traditional textiles protect and heal,” Vang says. “At a time of division, it feels important for me to use my art practice as a cultural bearer to bring people together.”
The workshops were more than technical demonstrations. Participants were invited to slow down, work with their hands and spend time creating alongside people from other backgrounds.
“They are opportunities to make space for slowing down, to be still and to create in community with one another despite all the different places we have come from,” Vang says.
Three motifs form the mural’s artistic foundation.
The Hmong paj ntaub “House” motif honors family, memory and the idea of home across the diaspora. Paj ntaub is translated as “Flower Cloth.” It encompasses embroidery, applique and textile practices where generations of Hmong artists record cultural identity and pass artistic knowledge between generations.
The Ilocano kusikus “Whirlpool” represents nature and ancestral memory of the Philippines. Its rhythmic, rotating form gives the mural movement and evokes traditions carried through families across geographic distances.
The Palestinian tatreez “Poppy” describes the enduring relationship between Palestinian people and their land. Tatreez is embroidery distinguished by intricate, regionally meaningful patterns. Within the mural, the poppy is a cultural emblem and expression of persistence.
Placed together, the three motifs don’t blend the cultures into one generalized design. Each retains its identity. The proximity creates a visual conversation about what these communities share. Among those are a desire to remember where they came from, preserve stories and establish a sense of home.
The mural’s location at a public library adds another dimension. Libraries are where stories get collected and made accessible. “Threads of Belonging” is a story told through cloth. Its large scale transforms intimate textile techniques—often practiced in homes and passed between family members—into a piece of public art.
Sacramento Public Library Director Peter Coyl says, “The mural serves as a welcome to all who walk through our doors and a reminder that everyone belongs here.”
The project proves how public art can be created with a community rather than just installed. The artists understand that the many hands involved in weaving the mural are part of its meaning and an expression of the city’s cultural diversity.
The mural will stay at the library for two years. Participants left the workshops with knowledge of cultural traditions and the experience of making something alongside neighbors.
Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidesacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
