Communal Quilt Project: Building Community through Stories

Workshop Presentation
Steve Prince  

Patchwork quilts date back over 5000 years and exist in all cultures around the world. Generations of people took the scraps and discarded fabric remnants by recycling and re-invigorating them with new life. The fabric fragments hold stories of the family history. In ante-bellum America sewing circles, comprised mostly of women, would gather to pass on knowledge to younger generations, to fellowship, to gossip, and to strategize for survival. The Communal Quilt Project is an arts experiential initiative designed to work with all genders, ages, and ethnicities globally to create a giant patchwork story-quilt. The project replicates aspects of the sewing circle through a hands-on workshop. With simple materials such as donated fabric, fabric glue, and scissors participants will be able craft narrative images while sharing aspects of their story in the context of community. We cooperatively create a safe space where we can demystify the superficial barriers that cause division in our global community and reveal how close we really are. At the end of the workshop participants are encouraged to share their story. Over time we will create a communal quilt that will extend a mile/kilometer.