March Squares – A Little Piece of Italy

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…..March 13….thanks to Becky B from Life With B for hosting March Square

Back in the summer there was a wonderful exhibition of a giant quilt called The Quilt of Belonging. It was on display at the Canadian National Exhibition and each square represents the cultural legacies of all the First Peoples in Canada and every nation in the world. There are 263 blocks in this quilt that measures 120 feet long (36 metres) and 10.5 feet high (3.5 metres).

The first square that I’m sharing with you represents Italy. I wasn’t sure how this house showcased Italian culture but apparently the house in this block is based on a popular song called A Little House in Canada. The song describes the dream of many Italians to own a small house in Canada surrounded by a pool of fish and many lilacs.

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16 thoughts on “March Squares – A Little Piece of Italy”

    • It was a communal project where each block was created by groups of people from the many different cultural groups that live in Canada. Esther Bryan had the vision for this project back in 1994 when she first went to Slovakia with her father after the wall came down.

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    • You’re welcome. It was the one display that I really wanted to see at the Canadian National Exhibition last summer. I was delighted to meet the founder of this project and it was this quilt block that brought her to my attention. She told me the back story of this piece. I was so impressed that I bought her book that features the journey of each square.

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    • This quilt is so large that I had to take three or four photographs just to include all the pieces. If you ever get a chance to see it you should go. It’s been on tour all across the country but I’m not sure where it is now. It was on display in Ottawa at the Museum of Civilization before the tour.

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