Students trade endless doomscrolling for the mindful art of hand-stitched activism that connects creativity with community impact

Rochester, New York – In an age where most students’ thumbs never stop scrolling and notifications seem endless, a group of undergraduates in Rochester is putting down their phones and picking up a needle and thread. Through slow, intentional hand-stitching, these students are learning to express their beliefs, find calm, and contribute to their community — one patch at a time.

The effort stems from a new course at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) called Visual Activism, created by Professor Hinda Mandell. In this class, activism doesn’t unfold through social media feeds or trending hashtags — it takes shape through fabric, thread, and the meditative rhythm of hand-stitching. The students’ latest project brings that creativity into the real world with a charitable twist: they are making and selling hand-stitched patches and buttons to raise funds for Foodlink, a Rochester-based nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and building healthier communities.

Each student in Mandell’s class was tasked with creating three original hand-stitched pieces, each reflecting their personal beliefs, values, or causes they care about. The items — colorful patches, buttons, and small fabric art — will be sold at The Op Shop during the city’s First Friday art event on November 7. Most of the proceeds will go directly to Foodlink, while a smaller portion will support The Op Shop itself, a vintage store and local art venue owned by Joanna (Jo) Carroll.

For students, the project is more than just coursework — it’s a chance to slow down, think deeply, and make something meaningful.

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“It feels like I’m contributing to something that matters. It’s an act that makes a direct, measurable impact, while also being something that I enjoy working on,” said Eva Witten, a second-year cybersecurity major from Hartford, Connecticut.

Witten said that creating by hand allows her to focus and reflect in a way that digital life rarely does. What began as a class assignment soon became something she carried beyond the classroom — mending clothes for dorm mates, making gifts for friends, and sharing her art as a conversation starter.

“Art is the penultimate version of self-expression. I think it has an impact on the people who see me wearing the art I’ve made,” she said. “What that impact is, is for them to decide. But I think that through influencing others with these patches, I can promote this idea of self-expression in my career field.”

Mandell designed Visual Activism with that kind of transformation in mind. She wanted students to explore activism not just as something to post about, but as something to feel and create.

“So much activism today, especially for university students, seems to unfold in online spaces,” said Mandell. “I believe in the benefits of hand stitching and engaging with an act that is slow and methodical. I wanted students to have a tactile experience that really connects their own beliefs and opinions to something that they can hold.”

The course pushes students to think about how art can intersect with social justice, identity, and community impact. Assignments range from hand-sewn garments and zines to embroidered statements and wearable protest art. By giving students a needle instead of a keyboard, Mandell hopes to help them reconnect with a sense of patience, presence, and purpose.

This semester marks the first time Visual Activism has been offered, and Mandell saw The Op Shop as the perfect partner for the students’ debut public showcase. The shop, a cozy and eclectic space on Rochester’s art circuit, frequently hosts exhibitions as part of the First Friday citywide art walk.

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Jo Carroll, The Op Shop’s owner, immediately embraced the idea of featuring the students’ stitched work. She said the timing felt especially appropriate as November’s First Friday coincides with election season — a time of reflection, civic participation, and collective energy.

“November holds a collective pulse: a time when voices rise to be heard, when we exercise our rights through voting, and when nature itself reminds us of cyclical change,” said Carroll. “Through weaving, stitching, and felting, the students channel the physical and political forces that shape our world. Each piece reflects the belief that creation itself is a form of protest.”

The combination of creativity, activism, and charity is what makes the project stand out. Rather than focusing solely on protest or policy, the class encourages small acts of change — whether through art, compassion, or direct community support. By choosing Foodlink as their beneficiary, the students decided to tackle a pressing local issue: hunger.

Foodlink’s mission goes beyond distributing food; it works to address the root causes of food insecurity through education, nutrition, and community empowerment. The students’ donation will help support those efforts — turning handmade art into real meals for families in need.

For Vivian Contreras, a fourth-year student in RIT’s accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program, the course tied directly to her future goals. A criminal justice major from Mount Airy, Maryland, Contreras aspires to become an immigration attorney, and her three stitched pieces reflect themes of immigration advocacy and belonging.

“I’ve spent close to three years focusing on immigration. I felt like this assignment was an opportunity to show what matters to me and what has been on my mind. It felt like I finally had a space where I could visually show what I’ve been researching and studying for so long,” she said.

Contreras plans to build on this project for her master’s capstone, incorporating hand-stitching into activism outreach for local immigrant and refugee communities.

“I think that hand stitching is a really good way to make activism tangible. I’m hoping to take what I’ve learned from this class and show it to other people so they can also speak their mind. I hope this approach to advocacy can help these communities to speak out,” she said.

The course has shown that activism doesn’t have to be loud or confrontational — sometimes it’s quiet, personal, and deeply human. For Mandell, that’s the beauty of this slow form of protest: it allows reflection, empathy, and self-expression to coexist in every stitch.

The upcoming First Friday event at The Op Shop will be a celebration of that philosophy — a space where art meets purpose, where students’ hands tell the stories their screens never could. Visitors can expect to see dozens of unique hand-sewn patches and buttons, each carrying messages of resilience, identity, and hope.

Beyond the classroom, the project has sparked a conversation about how students can balance their fast-paced digital lives with activities that ground them. In an era dominated by doomscrolling and digital fatigue, Mandell’s students have found peace — and power — in something slow.

And as their work helps feed their neighbors through Foodlink, those stitches become more than art. They become proof that small, thoughtful acts can ripple outward, changing both hearts and communities.

Students and community members interested in attending the First Friday event can take advantage of bus transportation provided for RIT students. More details about the Visual Activism course, along with information on crafting activism, can be found by emailing Hinda Mandell at [email protected] or following her on Instagram.

Additional information about The Op Shop, its exhibitions, and upcoming events is available on the shop’s official website.

In the end, what began as a classroom experiment in creativity has become something much greater — a shared reminder that sometimes the simplest tools, a needle and thread, can mend not only fabric, but also the ties that connect us all.