Respect Quilt - Karen Faass

The Quilt It Began As An Idea

About a year ago in an Asian American Studies Class…
Professor Grace Yun introduced the class to an organization called Interrelations Collaborative Inc. (IRC)

IRC is a non-profit research
and education organization
which was established in 1991
with a grant from the United
Way of New York.

It has been dedicated to
building inter-group relations
among a diversifying student
population in New York City.

Following the events of 9/11, IRC brought together students, ages 11-19, from across NYC to document their experiences of 9/11. In their own words and images, they wrote and illustrated a book entitled, What Will You Do For Peace ?

Their artwork caught the eye of acclaimed Harlem artist, Faith Ringgold, who published their book.

Ms. Ringgold was then commissioned to design a Peace Story Quilt for IRC. The original quilt has been on display throughout NYC and the Tri-State Area.

After the quilt was completed,
it was then made into a musical
video with New York City
musician, Jim Papoulis.

Professor Yun showed our
class the video and I was so impressed that I wanted to bring the concept to Cromwell.

I talked to John Maloney about the “Peace” project and he immediately saw potential and was “on-board”.
He felt this would be a great project for the 8 th grade students.

We met with Grace, who informed us she had never done a workshop with over 25 students..(we had 150)
Assured us it could be done with her colleague, Trish Maunder, who is the Director of Stories Through Art.

We involved Kathy Sulots, the
Art Teacher and together we
picked a theme.
To Start…

The Theme… “Shared Philosophies, Something I’ve Learned” The Purpose …To Be Mindful of How to Treat Others and Handle Life

Rona Corrigan, the Computer
Teacher, was asked if she
would work with Kathy to help
coordinate the students .

Kathy and Rona explained the project to the students.
They were asked to think of something they had heard from someone…parent, teacher, coach, friend or relative…they remembered as a positive influence in their lives.

Their “sayings” were then put into similar categories. Some of the categories were:
Perseverance
Honesty
Attitude
Respect

Students were divided into two groups depending on their category.
Within that group, they were paired together to create one quilt square.

We met again with Grace to set a date and finalize all the details.
Discussed the set up of the room and how to involve all the students in the project.

Patty Maher was the 8 th grade teacher who helped organize the structure of the students.

A Year and Three Months Later…

Cromwell Middle School Respect Quilt November 15, 2010

It began as an assembly.
Introductions were made.
Students viewed the Peace Quilt video to “kick-off” the workshop.

It was a day the CMS 8 th grade students took a leadership role in making a very important statement…
They named their quilt, “The Respect Quilt”.

It began as a blank quilt.
Students worked together, bringing their ideas and paintings into one square.

The Quilt Starts to Take Form.
Everyone is involved.

With a sense of unity, one square at a time was carefully placed on the quilt.

The Message of “Respect” was heard throughout the day.

This Quilt will hang in the halls of Cromwell Middle School for a long time to come.
The 8 th graders of 2010 – 2011 will leave a lasting impression at CMS to be mindful of how to treat others.
They are the leaders bringing a very important message to others that follow..

It Began with an Idea….
A Special “Thank You” to
John Maloney, Kathy Sulots,
Rona Corrigan, Patty Maher
and the 8 th Grade Staff

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Respect Quilt - Karen Faass

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Respect Quilt - Karen Faass — Presentation Transcript