As Kansas City prepares to welcome the world for the FIFA World Cup 2026, a different kind of global connection is taking shape—one built not on the field, but on the loom. Textile artist Debbie Barrett-Jones will present Woven Together, a community collaborative weaving project at the Greenlease Gallery, located on the Rockhurst University campus.
Rooted in her initiative Healing with Weaving, founded in 2016, Barrett-Jones’ work explores weaving as a practice of care, connection, and healing. Since launching the Woven Together Community Landscape Weaving Project in 2021, more than 75 participants have contributed to a growing, shared textile—each thread representing a story, a place, and a person.
At its heart, Woven Together invites visitors into a hands-on experience. Participants are encouraged to add a few rows to a communal woven landscape inspired by the Midwest. With every contribution, the piece evolves—becoming a living artwork that reflects how our lives are interconnected with one another and the land we share. In a nod to the global spirit of the World Cup, participants may choose to be credited by name and country, though participation does not require identification.
Barrett-Jones brings deep experience to this work. She holds a BFA in Textiles from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from the University of Kansas. Her woven pieces have appeared in public, private, and sacred spaces across the country, including installations at Children’s Mercy Hospital, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and Kansas City International Airport. Her work has also been featured on PBS’s Made with Love: America 250.
Through Woven Together, Barrett-Jones continues to demonstrate that art can be more than something we view—it can be something we build together.
The exhibition will be on display June 25-July 12, 2026. Greenlease Gallery Summer hours are Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 1-5pm, and Friday 9am-noon. The Greenlease Gallery is closed July 3-5 for the holiday weekend.
The Opening Reception will be held on Thursday, June 25 from 5-7pm.
Join Debbie Barrett-Jones on Saturday, June 27 from 1:30-3:00pm and Friday, July 10 from 10:00-11:30am for an in-Gallery Workshop.
