In spring of 2020, face masks were one of the few tools we had against covid-19, and you couldn’t buy one. Anywhere. When hospitals started calling for homemade fabric masks amid a world shortage of personal protective equipment, people with sewing skills in Vermont and around the world began to respond. This three-part mini-series explores the pandemic experience through the voices of some of Vermont’s mask makers. In Episode 3 - Masks and Identity we learn how mask makers began expressing themselves creatively through the masks they made, and how they helped others affirm their identities in the middle of a global crisis.

In spring of 2020, face masks were one of the few tools we had against covid-19, and you couldn’t buy one. Anywhere. When hospitals started calling for homemade fabric masks amid a world shortage of personal protective equipment, people with sewing skills in Vermont and around the world began to respond. This three-part mini-series explores the pandemic experience through the voices of some of Vermont’s mask makers. In Episode 2 - Community and Collaboration we hear from mask makers who worked together to share resources and solutions when elastic or fabric were hard to find and offered mutual support amid the isolation of the early pandemic.

In spring of 2020, face masks were one of the few tools we had against covid-19, and you couldn’t buy one. Anywhere. When hospitals started calling for homemade fabric masks amid a world shortage of personal protective equipment, people with sewing skills in Vermont and around the world began to respond. This three-part mini-series explores the pandemic experience through the voices of some of Vermont’s mask makers. Episode 1 - Sewing in a Crisis, looks at mask making as an outlet for anxiety and considers the complexities of mask makers earning money, or not, in exchange for their labor.