A Community Quilt

of COVID-19 Stories

VIEW QUILT ONLINE

Exhibitions

Current Exhibition

Three Sisters
Cultural Centre

April 8 - April 17th, 2022

1370 King St. N., St. Jacobs

Exhibition hours: 
Monday-Saturday 10-6
Sunday 12-5
See their website more information, events, and workshops!

The community centre is wheelchair accessible and on a public transportation route.
Quilt on display at the Homer Watson Gallery, photo by Erik O'Neil
Quilt on display at the Homer Watson Gallery, photo by Erik O'Neil
Quilt segments on display at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery & Design at Riverside Gallery
Quilt on display at the Homer Watson Gallery, photo by Erik O'Neil

Past Exhibitions

the quilt on display at the Stanley Park Community Centre
Pieces of the quilt on display in the from window of the KWAG

Stanley Park
Community Centre

Sept. 2 - Dec. 7, 2021
Entryway into the exhibition of the quilt at the Homer Watson House & Gallery in Kitchener Ontatio
The full quilt hanging from the ceiling

Homer Watson House & Gallery

May 21- August 29, 2021
part of the quilt on display at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
Pieces of the quilt on display in the from window of the KWAG

Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
(window installation)

March - April 2021
Window installation at Design at Riverside Gallery in Cambridge Ontario
Close up of the quilt in the window at the Waterloo School of Architecture

Design at Riverside Gallery
(window installation)

March - April 2021

Upcoming Exhibitions

Location Name

Date - Date
Address

Location Name

Date - Date
Address

About the Project

quilt submissions in the mailAnzor, one of the many volunteers that helped organize the projectBrenda Reid wearing a mask, sitting in front of a sewing machine attaching the submissions togetherParticipants showing off the quilt pieces they have made together during a workshopquilt submissions in the mail

From Behind the Mask is a large-scale community artwork focussing on our collective – yet individual – experiences of the coronavirus pandemic. Launched in October 2020, everyone who self-identified as a member of the Tri-City community (Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario) were invited to submit a quilt block reflecting on the prompt:

“From when the pandemic started, in March 2020, until now, what has changed the most in your life?” 

Quilt blocks were designed to be the shape and size of face masks commonly worn during the coronavirus pandemic. Images were to decorate the front of each block and accompanying text could be added to the back panel. Each quilt block would be tied together to form one large quilt. Quilt block kits were made available for free at a number of local businesses and through the mail. Once returned, the quilt blocks were sewn up by volunteers. The project concluded at the end of April 2021 and was installed in its full length at the Homer Watson House and Gallery before travelling to other locations. 

The quilt is both art and architectural space authored by hundreds of people in the Tri-City community. It provides material and space for reflection, grieving, hope and togetherness. Each block represents a unique voice, perspective and experience of life during this time. When the quilt blocks are tied together, we are making space together for each other. The hanging of the quilt makes space for stories of pain, resilience and care here in our community. It is an acknowledgement of inequality and a starting point for community healing.

Sewing needle being thread through a quilt submissionBrenda Reid putting the finishing touches on the quilt on display at the Homer Watson House in Kitchener

WHAT
A free community art project!
The quilt is currently on display at the Stanley Park Community Centre. Quilt blocks are also documented virtually on this website - see
The Quilt.

WHERE
Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, ON.

WHO
Everyone, young and old, who live, works, studies or has been displaced from the area due to COVID-19, etc. People who self-identified as a community member were invited to submit a block. Quilt block making took place from October 2020 - April 2021.

WHY
We’re making space for pain, resilience and care within our community.

WHEN
October 2020- April 2021
Exhibition began May 27, 2021 at the
Homer Watson House and Gallery.

Headshot of Brenda Reid standing in front of the quilt

About the Project Coordinator

Brenda Reid (she/they) is a recent graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. They are an emerging artist and designer based in Kitchener, ON.

Thank You!

to Our Project Supporters

We thank our community for supporting this project by donating their time, materials, expertise, physical locations, and more. This project would not have been possible without their support. Thank you to the City of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their generous financial support of this project. We would also like to thank the Volunteer Action Center and Waterloo Wellbeing for their considerable support.

Each one of these quilt blocks is a collaborative piece. Many people were involved in creating them, from individuals assembling quilt block kits, to the participants themselves, to the sewers making quilt ties and assembling the final blocks. Thank you to the many individuals, organizations and businesses who played a part in creating this work!

Aaron Coté
Agnes Niewiadomski
Amaryah deGroot
Anne Blayney
Anne Willcox
Annie Crump
Anzor S. Stash
Ariel Watson
Brenda Reid
Brendan Lacy
Cailtyn Kodric
Charlene Vanoverbeke
Chelsea Vanoverbeke
Christine Slote
Dave Krzewski
Dianne Boston-Nyp
Dinah Murdoch
Donna Zink
Elli Sigmund
Elly Grant

Heran Yosef
Irena Baltaduonis
Jenn Reid
Joyce Garofalo
Juanita Metzger
Linda Huber
Lorraine Boggs
Marten Pavlov
Meredith Tanner
Nathanael Scheffler
Nicole Reid
Peggy Pickett
Saffiya Kherraji Alami
Stephanie Trotter
Susan Gentilcore
Tahmina Faez
Tessa Dickison
Zoya Laiq

Homer Watson House & Gallery
Volunteer Action Centre
Stanley Park Community Association
Wellbeing Waterloo Region
City of Kitchener
Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
UW School of Architecture
THEMUSEUM
Waterloo Public Library
Idea Exchange
Café Pyrus
KW Bookstore
The Adventurers Café
Brick & Mortar General Store

In the Media

SHOW MORE

Media inquiries can be directed to .

View the Quilt Online

Screenshot of the Digital Version of the From Behind The Mask Quilt on our website

The quilt can also be viewed online! View the 500+ block submissions virtually.

SEE QUILT ONLINE

Out in the Community

Jessica Smith taking about From Behind the Mask Quilt on CTV News KitchenerCommunity Edition and Toque Magazine on tableElli and Lorraine from the Volunteer Action CenterChalkboard sign advertising from Behind the mask Quilt on the Spur Line Trail
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