Linda Litteral: Remember / San Diego Mesa College

Linda Litteral: Remember

an ongoing community engaged project and site-specific immersive installation

San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, CA

May 2026

https://www.lindalitteral.com/

To participate in future iterations and join the knitting circle, please reach out https://www.lindalitteral.com/contact

Statement:

My name is Linda Litteral, and this exhibition, Remember, is very close to my heart. Remember is an immersive installation made up of over 100 hand-knitted banners, each representing a survivor of sexual trauma. The banners hang from small house-like forms because so much of this violence happens within spaces that are familiar — homes, relationships, communities, and places where people are supposed to feel safe.

I think many people imagine violence as something distant or uncommon, but the reality is much closer to us than we often want to admit. Sexual violence is incredibly prevalent, and it affects people across every background, every age, and every community. It could happen to someone you know, someone you love, your children, or even yourself. For me, sexual violence is one of the cornerstones of patriarchy. It exists within systems of silence, shame, control, and power. Survivors are often taught to stay quiet, to question themselves, or to carry these experiences alone. That silence allows these systems to continue.

A huge part of creating this exhibition was wanting people to have a voice. I wanted survivors to feel acknowledged, represented, and seen. So many people carry these experiences in silence, sometimes for years or even a lifetime. I hope this installation creates space for people to feel less alone and to know their stories matter. From my humble place as an artist, I believe awareness is one of the most important ways we begin to challenge these systems. Awareness creates conversation, and conversation can create change.

Art has always had the ability to question assumptions and open space for transformation. Sometimes art can say things that are difficult to speak aloud directly. It can create empathy. It can make people pause. It can ask us to confront truths we might otherwise avoid. With Remember, I wanted to create something that people could physically move through and emotionally experience, not just observe from a distance. The knitted banners stream throughout the gallery almost like a collective presence. At first they may appear soft or delicate, but each stitch represents a person who has experienced sexual trauma. Together, they become a kind of witness.

Knitting itself became deeply important to this work. It’s traditionally connected to care, domestic labor, tenderness, and protection. Using that process felt meaningful because it contrasts with the violence being addressed. The repetitive act of stitching also became meditative for me — a quiet way of honoring survivors and their experiences.

The title Remember has many meanings. It asks us to remember survivors whose experiences are so often ignored, dismissed, or forgotten. It asks us to remember truths that society is uncomfortable facing. And it asks us to remember our responsibility to each other. I don’t believe art alone can end violence, but I do believe it can open doors. It can begin conversations. It can interrupt silence. And sometimes that is where transformation starts. To any survivors watching this, I want this work to say that you are seen, your experiences matter, and your voice matters here.

Special Thanks to:

Volunteer Knitters

Ainoa Cuberos Ann Olsen Amanda Ryan Betty Amber Bonnie Lau Brenda Smith Carol Fuller Danielle Cohen Gail Schnieder Grace Matthews Hannah Padilla Barajas Holly Klimowicz Jane Purchall Jane E Hindman Jen Riley Jennifer Latunsky Jennifer Spencer Jill Dawsey Willa Dawsey Judith Christensen Julie Freeman Karen Davis Karlee Mariel Kate Carvellas Katie Ruiz Kiersten Moss Kim Litteral Kirsten Aaboe Laura Richwood Leslie Shimazaki Lisa Moss Lydia Ziche Bowman Marcy Darby Marti Kranzberg Mary Pennell Michelle Hoyt Michelle Montjoy Milagro Ramos Miriam Isenberg Monique Guzman Nancy Litteral Nicole Gonzalez Patricia Speno Peter Keller Rebekah Brooks Roanna Canete Sandra Baranski Stacie Birky-Greene Stacy Owen Sarina Rodriguiz Suchita Jariwala

Supporters/Donors

SD Space 4 Art Rio Villa Ezell Cindy Zimmerman Shayla James May Ling Martinez Alex Decosta Senta Kay Baker/Garrison Liz Crowe Michelle Hoyt Janice Grinsell Alexander Neff Fini Orlamuen Justina Aura Nemoy Yarn & Thread Expressions