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Salle de presse
The Canadian Spirit Exemplified Invitation, the quilt of belonging, transcends barriers and brings us a richness of knowledge and a wealth of spirit Have you ever heard one of those stories that you just knew was exaggerated a little in the telling to make it more interesting? Well, here is one story that, if anything, has to be understated so that people can grasp its magnitude. Invitation, the quilt of belonging is huge, and its visual impact is enormous! A textile project on a national scale, this quilt will be 120 feet long (about three average-sized homes placed end-to-end) and ten feet high (about two feet higher than most ceilings these days), when completed. This isn't one of your "start, stop, put away, and take out again" quilts. Now in its fifth, non-stop year of creation, the quilt is the vision of artist Esther Bryan. It is her goal to demonstrate through hand-made textile forms and symbols the unique beauty and contributions of each culture that is part of the Canadian fabric. Each of 265 indigenous and immigrant groups has been invited to contribute a 9" square (worked as a diamond) that illustrates their particular culture to create a permanent, collaborative piece of textile art that will be a lasting testimony to our heritage and identity. The CQA/ACC Board of Directors recently visited Esther at the project, located in Williamstown, Ontario. Housed in the former Township of Charlottenburg municipal building, each of the rooms is brimming either with colourful piles of fabric, research, or volunteers working on various aspects of the project. We came away thinking we had viewed a momentous event in Canadian quilt history. What struck us as most important about this awesome project? It was the spirit…the vision! Esther believes that by learning about other people - we all have textiles that reflect who we are and record our cultural histories - we can better understand how we can all work together in the future. "It is a vision of what we can and should be as a global family…there is a place for everyone in Canada, and there is a place for everyone in the quilt of belonging," Esther says. Each of the completed 9" blocks is surrounded by a 1" neutral frame and is finished with a different-coloured, hexagonal border, creating a jeweled-tone spectrum of colour. The overall size of a block is 16" by 18". Each block has a particular beauty of its own. Each is a true work of art, amazing in its detail and evoking the essence of the cultural community in Canada it represents. Blocks often feature fabrics and techniques that are unique to the culture. When all the blocks have been received and completed, they will be appliquéd in rows several inches apart to a quilted black background. Separating them visually and yet joining them together will be multi-coloured cording, winding its way from top-to-bottom and side-to-side. The blocks of Canada's indigenous people - First Nations, Métis and Inuit - form the foundation of the quilt, running down both ends and along the bottom, cradling the immigrant nations. The overall design is intriguing, colourful and impressive. Because of its size, the Quilt of Belonging will be assembled in eight sections. This will facilitate its display and shipping when it tours Canada upon completion. A reception area in the building displays the "signatory book," which will accompany the quilt on its travels. This large-format book measures 100 feet when opened and is a work of art in its own right. Painted with water-colour scenes of Canada by artists Alan Bain and Esther Bryan, it features embellishments, such as ribbons, shells, beads and mirrored fabric. Highlighted with quotations in calligraphy, waves of signatures from visitors, block-makers and contributors are included, allowing everyone to become part of the Quilt of Belonging. A "practice wall" in the main meeting room features a full-sized, black backdrop on which the "border blocks" are now being created from a rainbow of two-inch strips, graduating from one colour to the next to reflect the placement of the blocks that will appear below. The individual blocks are stored in the vault, in large boxes sorted by colour. The volunteers have an uncanny ability to quickly retrieve particular blocks to match the culture of visitors eager to view the one to which they are most closely tied culturally. "These blocks are the threads of every day life," says Esther, "and they form a horizontal mosaic in which all players are on an even field, welcomed and valued as part of our society." Every block begins with people talking to other people, very often people different from themselves, she says, and these people form friendships as they create hand-stitched blocks that honour people and their cultures. The magnitude of the research that supports this project is impressive. Three rooms are devoted to ensuring that the information collected, and the blocks subsequently made, truly represent each cultural group. Imagine the number of people who have been contacted, imagine the number who have worked on just one block. It is no wonder that the blocks practically sing with cultural flavour. Our Vice-president, Jodi-Marie Horne was noticeably moved to finally meet Esther and to view the block she made to represent South Africa when it was placed beside others. Information on every country of the world from which there is someone living in Canada is displayed, by continent, on the walls of one room. And it is every country of the world! The next room shows the same kind of details about 73 main cultural groupings distilled from over 640 First Nations. Every effort is made to ensure consultation, accuracy and respect within the block making process. The blocks are intricately made and the workmanship alone commands your respect. For me, however, the viewing of the blocks was just the beginning. I was intrigued with the stories behind the blocks. Why was this particular design chosen? Why were these colours used? What is the significance of the cloth and of the stitches used? When you have the information covering these and many other aspects readily given to you, your visit is truly rewarding. Esther creates for the viewer just such a wealth of information, and the volunteers who work with her are equally knowledgeable. I believe that these stories will affect you the most, so we share with you a couple of them, along with a brief look at two of the blocks.
DOGRIB TLI CHO Aspects of the cultural identity of the Dogrib, part of the larger Dene family who live between Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake, are artistically demonstrated in their beautifully beaded clothing made of hide and a thick wool fabric called stroud. Block-maker Celine Mackenzie Vukson is particularly proud of the resourceful nature of her people, who waste nothing: A caribou leg bone is used to scrape hides, and Dogrib women produce their durable, tangle-free thread from sinew by using their won saliva and employing a vigorous wetting, spreading and rolling technique. Elements used in the block record not only the story of the Dogrib, but Celine's personal story as well. She included some precious sinew threads from a small bundle she has kept for more than three decades. Made by her deceased paternal grandmother, Marie Mackenzie, Celine uses the thread sparingly. It is a reminder to keep alive her Dogrib heritage, her language and her roots. The caribou hide remnants pay tribute to her ancestors and honour all Dogrib women who, while running their households and caring for large families, would often sit for hours huddled in cold and drafty places scraping, stretching and tanning hides. Celine has recycled two beaded "uppers" on navy stroud cut from the feet of a pair of mukluks, and the beadwork cut from the leg portion of the same pair. The mukluks represent the Dene way of life and their ability to survive in an extremely cold climate. A trace of "Dene Ink," a paste combination of flour and water, peeks out from behind the heart-shaped petals of the wild rose, a northern flower that is a popular design usually beaded in bright pinks. Dogrib women are encouraged to draw new flowers and create different designs for every project. They rarely keep patterns, believing that creativity and originality are hindered by the accumulation of too many paper templates. This gives them a chance to express themselves individually, confirming their belief that the creator's design and choice are in the mind and heart. A "pinked" edge on the caribou hide demonstrates the Dogrib method of folding the material together and cutting out small pieces with sharp scissors. Celine remembers her mother squinting as she leaned close to the hides to complete just such a decorative edge. Years before, Celine had come home with a special gift for her mother - pinking shears - thinking they would make work easier, but the shears stayed in the trunk. Mother's old ways were better. The pink and Burgundy twisted yarn was used to exemplify Celine's mother's perseverance. She had been unable to learn all the necessary sewing skills from her mother because she married soon after returning from a residential school. She had to make a long string to attach to a pair of hunting mitts for her husband. Unsure of her hew in-laws and too embarrassed to ask for help, she remained upstairs alone for hours taking apart and putting back together an old string. Panic set in when she realized only five inches were left of the original string. Then, using her own coloured yarns, she tried copying the sample inch by inch, working carefully and slowly until she was satisfied that her string matched the sample. Only then did she feel able to join the family who wondered why she had taken so long to come downstairs. Memories are recalled through pieces of sinew, hide, wool, fur and beads. Symbolically, they remind one of family and community, of a heritage of persistence and resourcefulness, and provide comfort when struggles arise.
FINLAND Elements in blue and white, reminiscent of the country's flag, snow, sky and lakes, infuse the Finland block. At the centre sits a miniature birch bark basket, a gift Heljä Thomson's cousin made for her during the war, which she brought to Canada in 1952. Gently tucked inside the basket is a white linen cloth Heljä embroidered with commonly found cornflowers, daisies, poppies and wheat. A piece of unbleached linen, woven in a reversible "summer-winter" motif in the '50s, forms the second layer. This type of delicate pattern and monochromatic design is very popular in Finland. Heljä honours the Sami or Lapp people, the only indigenous people in the European Union, by using the dark blue cording with bright accents in red, yellow and green. Linens in particular have always played an important role in Finland. They are a part of life and family pride to the Finns and are passed down from generation to generation. Young girls learned the skills of embroidery and weaving, in preparation for making their dowry linens. Many a family's heritage was lost during World War II when linens were used to make "snow covers." Heljä recalls that sheets, table linens and even wedding dresses were converted to camouflage troops travelling in winter. Finnish immigration to Canada began as early as the mid 1800s with the first settlers coming to British Columbia via Alaska, but it wasn't until the 20th century, in particular, that larger waves began to arrive. Making up only 1% of the Canadian population, people of Finnish descent are very involved in leisure associations to cultivate music, drama and gymnastics, which allows them the opportunity to socialize with each other and retain their language and ethnic traditions.
Blockmaker: Heljä Thomson
My Trip to Parliament Hill It is not every day that an Invitation to attend a reception on Parliament Hill crosses my doorstep, so when the bilingual engraved invitation (issued by two Ministers in Government) arrived for a Reception in the West Wing, I was able to revise my somewhat hectic summer schedule to include the two-hour drive to Ottawa on June 27.
Thrilled seems too inadequate a word to describe my feeling when I walked into the Confederation Room and viewed the Invitation, quilt of belonging project displayed along the length of one wall: this vision of Esther's was a reality. The room was filled with people of all ethnic origins, many in their Native costumes viewing the Quilt blocks, getting to know each other and sampling some of Canada's finest finger foods from smoked salmon to sushi. What a suitable vehicle Sheila Copps chose to announce the creation of Canadian Multiculturalism Day. After a few short speeches, including one by Jean Augustine on the status of women, it was time for Chocolate strawberries, tea and coffee - all served in the outer hall, a good distance from those marvelous creations.
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