Part of the he Digital Cultural Quilt In Process

Prompt : Make your own upcycled paper quilt square to be included in the Digital Cultural Quilt. Describe how your quilt square represents your culture, or give it a title so we can learn about you.

This week we mark time with our neighbors! The Reher Center’s Digital Cultural Quilt of the Hudson Valley is a virtual, collaborative art project inviting all children, teens and adults in the region to share our heritage during this time of social distancing. See the quilt-in-progress on Instagram at #CulturalQuiltHV and online June 14th at the virtual Kingston Multicultural Festival and Barrett Art Center websites.

Share your squares by June 5th to be included in the Kingston Multicultural Festival’s online gallery and in the Reher Center's window display

Share on Instagram and Facebook with #thedrawkingston and #CulturalQuiltHV & Tag us @thedrawkingston

Don’t have Instagram? Email your picture and description to sarah@rehercenter.org and we’ll help you post!

Directions

Cut a piece of paper into a square. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Use an assortment of papers: flyers, newsprint, old books, candy wrappers etc. (Any kind of paper from anything is great!) Cut out shapes, colors and symbols that reflect your heritage or identity. Create a collage by gluing your pieces together and adding whatever else seems right. Use crayons, markers or words to add some details to your artwork.
Have fun!

Thoughts to Consider

What rituals do you have with your family? What foods are important to your culture? What flowers or birds are local to your area? How do you represent these in color and shape? Something important to your identity may go in the center, while smaller parts of you may go on the sides.

For More Info and How-To’s, Visit: barrettartcenter.org and rehercenter.org

Learn More About Quilts and the Reher Center

For Inspiration From Around the World:

Native American tribes created intricate quillwork and beadwork designs on their quilts by adapting the techniques of European missionaries to suit their own needs. The most famous motif is the “star-quilt” pattern, which represents the Morning Star. Great Plains tribes would wrap these quilts around the shoulders of victorious returning warriors or hunters.

A popular Japanese quilt is the Sashiko quilt, which translates to ‘little stabs.’ This style uses decorative embroidery that also reinforces the strength of the quilt. Quilts were used as bed covers, kimonos, and warrior armor, and often included designs of family crests, ocean waves, and floral motifs. Indigo blue is a common color used in Japanese quilting.

In the 17th century, Mexican shepherds in modern day New Mexico would use sheep’s wool to survive the cold night climates. Using any scraps of wool cloth, they would weave together thick blankets and bed-coverings. The Otomi of Tenango is best known for their embroidery on textiles, using bright colors, floral, and animal designs that may have been inspired by cave drawings.

Russia has a long history of using quilts and patchwork to create folk-art. Many of its quilts are acclaimed and world-wide to this day. This technique is known as “patchwork collage,” and became most popular in the 20th century. Using multi-colored and geometric fabrics, Russian quilts often celebrate everyday scenes of animals and the countryside.

Beginning in the 17th century, enslaved African-American women learned to make quilts for their own everyday use, often using the “string-quilt” technique. Scraps of various fabrics would be sewn together, cut into blocks, and then incorporated into a quilt. The most famous pattern is the ‘Pine Cone,’ a 3-D circular design made of overlapping triangles

Embroidery on quilts have had a long history in the Ukraine, mostly used in both wedding attire and the national costumes. The most prominent patterns are floral and leaf designs, as well as some geometric elements. The designs are often stitched by the Ukranian people using threads made out of cotton, silk, and even gold.

Traditionally, Irish quilts consisted of two layers, weaved together using a wave or chevron pattern. The patchworks were usually made by combining hand weaving and sewing machines, using various scraps of cloth around the house to create a single blanket. Irish quilts are especially famous for introducing the chain pattern, which is still popular today.

See the Reher Center’s Digital Quilt in progress

More About the Reher Center and Barrett Art Center

The mission of the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History is to preserve and present stories with universal appeal about immigration, community, work and bread. It uses its historic bakery building in Kingston’s Rondout neighborhood to forge emotional connections among all peoples through tours and programs. The 8th Annual Kingston Multicultural Festival, a family-friendly event exploring the different ethnic dances, music, games, crafts, and foods of our region, will be held ONLINE this year, launching on June 14th.

Barrett Art Center’s mission is to foster and perpetuate an appreciation of the visual arts in the Hudson Valley region through exhibitions, education and preservation.

This digital quilt project is made possible through the Robert R. Chapman Fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley

Indigo-dyed plain-weave cotton, quilted and embroidered with white cotton thread, Japan.

Suzdal patchwork ‘From Suzdal to Russia with love’