Quilts: Made in Canada set to open at ROM on June 29

Rare collection of quilts dating from the 1850s to today on display

TORONTO, June 19, 2024 – This month, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will present a selection of some of the most exquisitely patterned and meticulously stitched quilts created by makers from across the country. Quilts: Made in Canada runs from June 29 to November 17, 2024, and draws from ROM’s permanent collection of intricately designed quilts from as early as the 1850s to the present. 

Featuring over twenty historic and contemporary Canadian made quilts, Quilts: Made in Canada will showcase some of the finest heirlooms passed down for generations. Revealing how quilts record daily life in Canada or reference significant moments in its history, this exhibition will highlight how the craft holds enduring legacies. Each of the quilts featured in the exhibition tell compelling stories about community, creativity, and reuse. 

“From the homespun quilts of early settlers to the richly patterned quilts of contemporary Indigenous makers, this exhibition is an intimate history of more than 150 years of life in Canada,” says Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO.

Many of the quilts showcased are a testament to the ingenuity essential to the art of quilt making. Repurposing textiles to create stunning new motifs and innovative designs, quilts are a product of the skill of their makers and their ability to recycle often previously worn or used materials to develop entirely new creations. Several of the lovingly crafted quilts on display use multiple different techniques and traditions passed down to preserve family histories for posterity as well as to commemorate important life moments.

“Treasured by the families and descendants of those who made them, these quilts are now treasured by ROM," says Arlene Gehmacher, L.R. Wilson Curator of Canadian Art & Culture and advising curator to Quilts: Made in Canada. “We are honoured to showcase these heirlooms and offer visitors an exceptional moment to appreciate quilt making."

In one standout example, Catharine Gage Pettit’s appliqué quilt for her wedding to William Ira Case Jones in 1865 was part of her trousseau—a collection of household items that many women made collectively ahead of their marriages. Appliqué quilts were considered special and were often completed after a young woman’s family announced her engagement, with the community coming together to complete the quilting as a group.

Quilts are repositories of memories, many of which speak to key historic moments, such as a quilt created by a dressmaker from Vancouver, who sewed a quilt top while held in a Japanese internment camp in the 1940s. Kinu Murakami assembled silky patches that came free with cigarettes, along with fragments of cloth from Japanese kimonos, a testament to resilience during one of the most difficult periods of Canadian history.

Visitors can delve into the wider historical context of Quilts: Made in Canada, with a series of in-depth talks and in person workshops with leading makers throughout the exhibition. ROM will be offering several programs featuring contemporary artists and quiltmakers discussing their practices, as well as expert insight into modern quilting culture and the traditions surrounding the art form. Half-day workshops will be an opportunity for both beginner and advanced quilters to explore quilting techniques such as patchwork, hand-stitching and appliqué.

The first program offered this summer is Quilt Codes: Exploring the Underground Railroad on July 10th, which examines the fascinating tradition of Underground Railroad quilts in a free digital talk hosted by Dr. Arlene Gehmacher, and featuring David Woods, curator of the exhibition The Secret Codes: African Nova Scotian Quilts (on until August 18, 2024 at the Textile Museum of Canada), and artist and quiltmaker, Melinda Clayton-Patterson.

For adults who are interested in trying out quilt making for the first time, ROM is offering a fun afternoon workshop designed for beginners, Contemporary Patchwork: Sustainable Quilting Basics on August 11th, that will teach participants hand-sewing techniques and patchwork design possibilities that inspire sustainability and spark creativity, led by Arounna Khounnoraj, a well-known textile artist and co-owner of Bookhou.

In addition to these programs, visitors to ROM will also be able to try out creating patterns for a quilt with an interactive hands-on activity in the gallery. Members will have the first opportunity to experience Quilts: Made in Canada at the Member Preview on Friday, June 28. Quilts: Made in Canada is free with general admission and on display from June 29 to November 17, 2024, in ROM’s Level 3, Third Floor Centre Block.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Royal Exhibitions Circle.

Image credit: Appliqué quilt, "Wreath of flowers" or "garden wreath" pattern (detail), 1865, Catharine Gage Pettit, Fruitland, ON. Appliquéd and pieced cotton. Gift of Hattie I. and Charlotte Jones. Image © ROM.

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About ROM  
Opened in 1914, ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) showcases art, culture, and nature from around the world and across the ages. Today, ROM houses more than 18 million objects, from Egyptian mummies to contemporary sculpture, from meteorites to dinosaurs. ROM is the most visited museum in the country and one of the top ten museums in North America. It is also the country’s preeminent field research institute, with a diverse range of experts who help us understand the past, make sense of the present, and shape a shared future. Just as impressive is ROM’s facility—a striking combination of heritage architecture and contemporary, cutting-edge design, which marks the Museum as an iconic landmark and global cultural destination. 

We live on in what we leave behind.