Quilt of Belonging: The Invitation Project

A cultural milestone.

Canada is home to immigrants from every nation in the world. Quilting artist Esther Bryan wanted to celebrate this fact, to promote a sense of greater belonging among these diverse groups. A quilt would be a collaborative, community-based project to celebrate cultural diversity.

Each cultural group contributed one 11-inch square pieced into a giant quilt named the Quilt of Belonging. The quilt is approximately 120 feet long by 10 feet high (36 m by 3.5 m). It consists of 263 squares representing 71 Aboriginal groups and 192 immigrant nationalities found in Canada.

The quilt includes fabric that has been appliqued, beaded, cross-stitched, embroidered, and hand-woven. The many cultural decorations include:

• Abalone shells
• Lithuanian amber
• Bobbin lace
• A brooch from Poland
• English wool
• Kente cloth from Ghana
• Porcupine quills, rabbit fur, sealskin, and smoked caribou hide
• 200-year-old German linen
• Worry dolls from Guatemala.

The Quilt of Belonging will be exhibited in spring 2005 with an opening show at Canada's Museum of Civilization and then will become part of a traveling exhibit of stitches and stories that visits museums and community centers throughout Canada and beyond.

General

ISBN		9781550464351
Fiction/Non-Fiction		Non-Fiction
Publisher		Boston Mills Pr
Pages		296
List Price		$29.95
Author		Bryan, Esther
Publication Date		02/04/2006
Release Status		In Print
Format		Paperback
Language		English
Measurements		Height: 10.75 Inches (US) Width: 9 Inches (US) Thickness: 1 Inches (US) Unit Weight: 3.05 Pounds (US)