Suzanne Lacy - ' The Crystal Blanket.'

Suzanna Lacy is a visual artist who works include performance, photography and installations. Lacy is known for inventing the term ' new genre public art.'  Using practice ' as a healing process, not only for the artist themselves but also for the members of the audience. ' Lacy 2012. Lacy's practise involved working and interacting with groups on tackling social questions. It is said that her practice 'blurs the boundaries between activism, art, pedagogical practise and curation. ' 

The Crystal Quilt (1985-1987) was a performance piece involving a group of 430 women aged over 60 and it exploring ageing and the experience of it. The project, in addition, investigated how ageing women are depicted in media platforms and in public. In the centre of a shopping complex, the layout was set up in a geometric format using tables draped in black cloths. The women they came on dressing in black and turned the cloths over to reveal colour. Throughout the performance, a mix of sounds with personal observations and memories from the women was played over the top. At the end of the performance, 300 people filled the space holding hand-painted scarves. Lacy described this approach as a 'social strategy '  lacy 1987.  After the project ended 15 of the women involved attended organised leadership training for older women. From this, it is evident that the project had a positive lasting impact on the people involved. The project and Lacy's practise are two examples of how a practice that incorporates diversity and contextualises, making for an outcome that highlights concerning issues successfully and positively impacts the participants.