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Invitation: The Quilt of Belonging

INVITATION: THE QUILT OF BELONGING

The best way to realize the scope of Invitation: the Quilt of Belonging, is to go to Williamstown, an historic small Ontario town, and spend an afternoon with the dynamic woman who is realizing her dream of a quilt that will be created from 290 blocks representing the arts and crafts of all the cultures who make up the mosaic that is Canada.

There is a lingering sense of wonder in seeing, in that context, the Icelandic block created by Shirley-Ann Laxdal of Wynyard, a Director of the Vatnabyggð Club, and Yolanda Gislason of Foam Lake, and finding the Vatnabyggð name on the wall of sponsors. The Vatnabyggð Club sponsored the Icelandic block.

Shirley-Ann contacted Esther Bryant, initiator of the quilt project, to offer to do the Icelandic block, developed the design in conjunction with Esther, then asked Yolanda to knit the border. The centre of the block, which is mounted on a blue background, is a book containing the symbols important to the Icelandic culture, embroidered by Shirley-Ann.

The inspiration behind the project, Esther Bryan, is an artist who, as a child of missionaries, lived in many cultures. In 1995, when she and her father visited their family roots in Slovakia, Esther was so moved that she created an exhibition called "Return." However, the journey home was also the impetus for the quilt project, which began in 1998.

The completed quilt will be about 130 feet long and 12 feet high. The individual blocks are assembled on a black background, organized with an artist's eye to colour and flow. The individual blocks will be linked by looped and knotted multicoloured ribbons. The result is a unified whole even though the blocks are created using fabric, stitchery, beads, metal, and glass.

The quilt is designed in sections so that it can tour Canada because Esther strongly believes that it belongs to all Canadians, not just to a few who might have access to a permanent mounting in one of the major museums.

A close up of the Icelandic block can be seen on the Invitation website. Go to the home page at: www.invitationproject.ca/gallery.htm Click on Europe then click on Iceland The Invitation site is filled with images and stories about the project.

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