Home Oct. 2008 Aug. 2008 May 2008 Feb. 2008 Oct. 2007 Aug. 2007 May 2007 Contact Us

In The News

Quilt of Belonging to make U.S. debut at International Quilt Festival

Quilts, Inc. announced that the 2007 edition of International Quilt Festival/Houston will feature a very special showing of the Quilt of Belonging. The expansive quilt features hundreds of individual blocks representing every world nationality and major Canadian aboriginal group. Festival will mark the quilt project’s U.S. debut.

Canada’s largest and most comprehensive textile artwork, the 120-foot long Quilt of Belonging is the collaborative effort of coordinator Esther Bryan and scores of individuals and fabric artists. Members of the 263 nationalities or ethnic groups represented in the quilt were invited to create a single block signifying a unique characteristic of their country or unique culture. Each block possesses its own special character, and yet it also “belongs” in the overall design of the quilt.

Bryan initiated the Quilt of Belonging project after returning from a life-changing trip with her family to Slovakia, the country that her father had left behind 43 years earlier. Her vision for the quilt was born out of her desire to create something that would celebrate diversity among people and promote a common humanity and compassion for others.

Since its inaugural exhibition in 2005, the quilt has traveled entirely across Canada, covering every province and parts of the Arctic territory. Its upcoming journey to Houston, however, will mark its first exhibition in the United States.

While the quilt will debut to the public at International Quilt Festival, November 1-4, industry members can view it during International Quilt Market, October 27-29.

“Wherever this quilt has been shown, people have reacted with strong emotion,” Bryan explained. “Sometimes they stand speechless; sometimes they are exuberant; and very often, they shed silent tears. Our ultimate hope is that these emotions will translate into a deep compassion for others and a recognition of the sacred worth of every human life.”

For more information on the Quilt of Belonging at International Quilt Festival, contact Bob Ruggiero, director of publications and public information, at pubs@quilts.com or call 1-713-781-6864, extension 116.

Reprinted from Quilting Now magazine, August 2007