ChooseCornwall.ca — Visitors are in for a special weekend at the NAV CENTRE in Cornwall, Ontario. From April 19^th to 21^st, the world famous Quilt of Belonging will be displayed at Campbell Hall.

At the same time Esther Bryan will be alsounveiling of a new documentary chronicling the historic making of the Quilt of Belonging as well as a “first of its kind” Youth Quilt Project created by close to 800 students from Eastern Ontario and Akwesasne.

The Quilt of Belonging

The Quilt of Belonging is a 120 ft long piece of textile artwork consisting of 263 11-inch fabric squares. 70 of the squares represent Aboriginal groups and the remainder feature all 193 immigrant nationalities in Canada. The Quilt project was a collaborative effort which took over six years to complete and involved hundreds of volunteers from across the country.

The Quilt of Belonging has toured Canada from coast to coast, thrilling thousands of Canadians and visitors from around the world.

The Youth Quilt

The youth display consists of stunning artistic blocks created by students from kindergarten through high school, a testament to the creativity of our youth. The Quilt of Belonging has long been included in school textbooks throughout Canada and educators have found it an effective tool for reaching youth. The Youth Quilt pilot project will provide effective programming tools for educators nationally and internationally to teach much-needed core values—caring, responsibility, diversity and respect.

The Documentary

The documentary film features heartwarming interviews with participants from a wide range of cultures. Esther Bryan, the originator of the project, chronicles the inspiration and early years of making this mammoth work of art, while photos and footage celebrate the generous spirit of the volunteers who made the dream a reality. The film runs for 48 minutes and will will be shown hourly throughout the exhibition. The documentary was produced by Keyhart Productions in collaboration with Quilt of Belonging.

The Youth Quilt and Documentary outreach projects were funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and made possible through partnerships with the Upper Canada District School Board, the Akwesasne Mohawk Board of Education, The Native North American Travelling College and Heart of the City, and further supported by Service Ontario.  The documentary was produced by Keyhart Productions in collaboration with Quilt of Belonging.

Public Exhibition:

• Friday April 19 : 10:00am – 9:00 pm
• Saturday April 20 & Sunday April 21 :  10:00am – 5:00pm

Located on the scenic shores of the St. Lawrence River at 1950 Montreal Rd in Cornwall, the NAV CENTRE is a full service conference centre hosting a variety of events throughout the year.

Quilt of Belonging has impacted millions in its 15 year journey, and along with the new documentary and school program will continue to reach out to the world, sharing the important message, A Place for All!

For more information visit  www.quiltofbelonging.ca .