At first glance, it’s instantly recognizable: a living room couch wrapped in clear plastic. For generations of Black families, the plastic-covered sofa has been a familiar symbol of care, preservation, and pride—a piece of furniture protected because it was meant to last.
Now, that everyday object has been transformed into a work of contemporary fiber art.
Protect Our Piece reimagines the iconic couch as a living archive of Black culture, with 19 hand-crafted elements stitched across its surface celebrating history, identity, and community. From Black Joy and HBCUs to Black-owned businesses, Black beauty, African American Vernacular English, banned Black books, and Juneteenth, each textile element represents a facet of Black life that has shaped American culture while inviting viewers to consider what deserves to be remembered and preserved.
The project debuted at Chicago’s Juneteenth Freedom Market in June 2026, where visitors were encouraged not only to view the work—but to sit on it, explore its details, and contribute their own ideas about the stories, traditions, and achievements that should be carried forward.
Rather than presenting history as something fixed behind glass, Protect Our Piece invites participation. The installation blurs the line between sculpture, storytelling, and community engagement, transforming a familiar household object into a gathering place for reflection and conversation.
A Domestic Object Becomes Contemporary Art
Artists have long used ordinary objects to explore identity and cultural memory, and Protect Our Piece continues that tradition by elevating one of the most recognizable symbols of Black domestic life.
For many Black families, the plastic-covered couch represented more than simply protecting furniture. It reflected the desire to preserve something meaningful for future generations. By expanding that idea beyond the home, the installation asks a broader question: What parts of a culture deserve the same care and protection?
The answer is woven directly into the work itself.
Each stitched element functions as both artwork and storytelling device, creating a richly layered composition that rewards close inspection. Visitors move across the surface discovering familiar references while encountering new perspectives on Black history, creativity, language, education, entrepreneurship, and identity.
“I didn’t come here to make blankets. I didn’t come here to make an applique for your couch. I came here to show you something and shift your perspective. To open your mind and eyes to what’s in my brain, and what could be for the future.” – Chelsea B
Crafting the Piece
Bringing the installation to life required more than 100 hours of handwork by Chicago-based fiber artist and designer Chelsea B., founder of House of Chelsea.
Known for her custom crochet garments and textile art, Chelsea has collaborated with brands including Nike, Jordan, and Adidas, while creating work for artists such as Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and Ciara. Her pieces have also been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
For Protect Our Piece, every component was individually crocheted, knitted, assembled, and attached by hand. Each visual element was designed to maintain its own identity while contributing to the overall composition, resulting in a work that balances intricate craftsmanship with a powerful conceptual framework.
The tactile nature of fiber art makes the installation especially compelling. Rather than separating viewers from the work, the familiar materials and domestic setting encourage people to engage with it personally, creating an experience that feels both intimate and communal.
An Artwork That Continues to Grow
Unlike many installations, Protect Our Piece was never intended to remain static.
As the couch travels to galleries, cultural institutions, and community spaces, visitors are invited to share their own thoughts about the traditions, achievements, and stories they believe should be preserved. Selected submissions will be stitched directly into the work, allowing the installation to evolve with each exhibition.
That ongoing collaboration transforms the couch from a finished sculpture into a living archive—one shaped not only by its creators, but by the communities who experience it.
In an era when conversations about history, identity, and cultural memory continue to evolve, Protect Our Piece offers a reminder that preservation can take many forms. Sometimes it happens in museums and libraries. Sometimes it happens through storytelling and shared traditions. And sometimes, it begins with an object as familiar as a plastic-covered couch—reimagined as a work of art that carries the stories of a community forward, one stitch at a time.
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The HUB is BarkleyOKRP’s Black Employee Resource Group and a DEI initiative focused on lifting Black voices, ideas, and cultural perspectives across the agency. It’s a space for connection, collaboration, and real community, inside and outside of the work. Through shared stories and collective authorship, The HUB helps ensure representation is ongoing and built into how we think, create, and show up.
Visit ProtectOurPiece.com to find out more about what we’re protecting and how you can help.
All mages courtesy of BarkleyOKRP.
