Scope and Content
The "Ribbon around the Pentagon" ceremony was a grass-roots public art event and anti-nuclear peace demonstration which took place in Washington, D.C., on August 4, 1985 (the weekend before the 40th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan). Activists protesting nuclear arms created hand-made fabric panels which depicted the things that would be lost in the event of a nuclear disaster. Panels showcased a variety of fiber arts including embroidery, quilting, garment sewing, fabric painting, knitting, weaving, appliqué, and needlework. The panels were tied together to form a 15-mile long "Ribbon," and the Ribbon was wrapped around the Pentagon, the Capitol, and the Lincoln and Washington Memorials by demonstrators holding the panels they created.
The collection primarily consists of the opinions of participants and the imagery of Ribbon panels. Collection materials include several original Ribbon panels, photographs of Ribbon panels, photographs of events which took place after the original 1985 demonstration, video of lectures and documentaries, audio interviews with project founders and participants, and questionnaire responses. All Ribbon panels, most documents, and many photographs in the collection were created by Ribbon project participants, primarily in the United States, between 1984 and 1989. All audio recordings and many photographs were created by Linda Pershing between 1985 and 1989.
The materials in this collection refer to the original ceremony and related activities which took place from 1984 to 1989 as "the Ribbon project."