About
the Project
The Euphoria Quilt is a trans and queer group quilt project started in June 2023. It aims to be a communal archive of gender-expansive joy during a time of unprecedented persecution and scapegoating of trans and gender-variant people. The quilt is made of blocks sent in by over 150 people from over 40 states and five countries that answer the question, "What does your gender expansive joy look like?"
Once the quilt is complete, the hope is that it will express a truth that trans and queer people have always known:
joy is far from frivolous, and it is ours to have.
Any trans, nonbinary, intersex, or gender-nonconforming person was invited to send in a quilt block that explored or expressed their own gender-expansive joy. In a move to make the quilt a solidarity-building project, queer cisgender people of all gender presentations were also encouraged to send a block on the same prompt, with the awareness that to be queer is to challenge gender as a concept. Queer people contributing blocks were encouraged to consider the ways gender-expansiveness adds joy and possibility to their lives, as it does for all of us.
As of July 2024, the Euphoria Quilt Project is on a quilting bee tour in order to hand quilt the 11'x12' Euphoria Quilt in community. By hosting quilting bees in cities across the country, we invite participants to add their own stitches to the quilt, giving the opportunity for as many people as possible to leave their mark on it.
View tour dates ➙
Meet
the Team
Eliot Anderberg (they/them)
Eliot is the creator and lead organizer of the Euphoria Quilt. They are a quilter based in Albuquerque, NM. Their duties include facilitating block collection, assembling the quilt top, and hosting Euphoria Quilt quilting bees.
Olly Millar (they/them)
Olly Millar is a queer and trans archivist originally from Louisville, KY, now living in Albuquerque, NM. They bring their passion for queer and trans archival practice to their role as collections manager for the Euphoria Quilt.
Sewing support provided by Petra Brown.
All photographs in the quilt archive by claudia hermano.
Quilt top photo by Nicholas Valdés.
Quilting bee photos by madrone matysiak and katrina ward.
Our Driving
Principles
01
Gender-expansive joy is ever-present and ever-possible, even during this time of persecution and upheaval.
02
Joy is at its queerest not as 'joy despite,' but rather as something queer and trans people have had a deep and inherent relationship with throughout history — and we always will.
03
Queer and trans archival practice connects us across space and time, and it is a privilege to shape the way our narratives are preserved.
