Since 2012, Seattle artist Molly Vaughan has utilized her interdisciplinary approach to art-making to honor the lives of murdered transgender and gender non-conforming Americans with a series of works called Project 42. Through the creation of garments and diverse collaborative memorial actions, Vaughan raises awareness of the violence that transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, particularly trans women of color, face in contemporary American society with “42” referencing the average lifespan of someone in this community.

Using Google Earth, Vaughan captures visual documentation of the murder location from multiple distances and angles. Within each capture, colors and shapes emerge directly from the site location and incorporated into a fabric pattern; then, a garment is made specific to each person.

Vaughan was introduced to BIMA through Seattle Art Museum’s Betty Bowen Award, which she won in 2017. Vaughan is now at the halfway point in this multi-year project that has involved dozens of collaborators from across the globe, having completed twenty-one garments. At this critical milestone, BIMA is honored to provide space and witness to this important and complicated body of work.

Learn more about Molly Vaughan and Project 42 at fineartvaughan.com