Prayer Flag For Canada

 Prayer Flag For Canada   2017   57 inches wide x 90 inches high   (145 cm x 228 cm)

vintage women's handkerchiefs, red threads, handkerchief linen, wool dyed red

Premier exhibition in Gore Bay Museum's exhibition for Canada's 150th birthday celebration entitled Prayer Flags For Canada. The entire community was invited by Nicole Weppler, the curator of the museum,  to create more traditionally sized prayer flags and approximately 150 are the result.  Judy Martin was invited to create a large prayer flag.

Gore Bay Museum at Harbour View Centre throughout the summer (June 23 - October 5) and also outside the museum proper.

Some of the red threads bled.  The artist chose to leave this detail as a metaphor for women and for Canada's history.

photographs in this post by Sudbury photographer, Nick Dubecki.

Layers of Time

     Layers of Time, 2013, 233h x 233w x 1d cm,   (92" x 92")

Materials: re-cycled wool blanket, re-purposed domestic lace, re-cycled linen damask, foundation fabrics (light weight wool, light weight cotton, plant dyed linen), re-cycled wedding dress, silk ribbon, perle cotton #5 and #3, cordonnet lace making thread, glass beads, sewing and quilting threads, bamboo batting, backed with linen damask pieced with cotton designed by marimekko.   

Techniques:  Layering onto foundation fabrics by hand, hand stitching, hand embroidery, hand quilting, made with community assistance.  Photo:  Klaus Rossler

exhibition history

This quilt is part of the Manitoulin Circle Project which took place over four years in Little Current Manitoulin Island under the leadership of Judy Martin.  149 community members took part in hand stitching four large meditation panels.
Layers of Time was part of the solo exhibition, Mended World.  Organized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (catalog)

September 13 - October 27, 2013  Thunder Bay Art Gallery, part of the Mended World Exhibition
January 19 - March 2, 2014  Art Gallery of Sudbury, Mended World Exhibition

Easter Sunday April 20, 2014,  The four panels are installed in the Little Current United Church for permanent display.

October 18-20  2014, Manitoulin Circle Project, Espanola Fibre Festival,  Judy Martin key note speech
November, 2014:  World of Threads Festival, Oakville, Ontario.  The four large panels are shown in solo exhibition at the festival.
May 9 - June 14 2015, Homer Watson House and Gallery, Kitchener Ontario, Mended World Exhibition

October 2015;  The 4 large panels traveled to Gros Morne, Newfoundland for the fibreconference sponsored by the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Judy Martin taught a workshop based on the technique and design of the panels.

Precious Water

  Precious Water, 2013, 218h x 218w x 1d cm,   (86" x 86")

 Materials: re-cycled linen damask, commercially embroidered linen, rayon damask, silk, cotton, silk floss, perle cotton #5, heat activated shrinking material, sewing and quilting threads, bamboo batting, backed with linen damask pieced with a cotton panel designed by marimekko. 

 Technique: hand embroidery, heat activated shrinking, reverse appliqué, hand piecework, hand quilting, made with community assistance.  Photo:  Klaus Rossler

Exhibition History

This quilt is part of the Manitoulin Circle Project which took place over four years in Little Current Manitoulin Island under the leadership of Judy Martin.  144 community members took part in hand stitching four large meditation panels.
It went on exhibition as part of the solo exhibition, Mended World.  Organized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (catalog)

September 13 - October 27, 2013  Thunder Bay Art Gallery,  Mended World Exhibition
January 19 - March 2, 2014  Art Gallery of Sudbury, Mended World Exhibition

Easter Sunday April 20, 2014,  The four panels are installed in the Little Current United Church for permanent display.

October, 2014:  Espanola United Church.  The five panels are installed for the weekend of the Espanola Fibre Festival in the church's sanctuary.  Judy Martin gave the keynote address for the fibre festival that compared slow hand stitching to an act of social change.
November, 2014:  World of Threads Festival, Oakville, Ontario.  The four large panels are shown in solo exhibition at the festival.
May, 2015:  Homer Watson House and Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario.  The five panels were installed in solo exhibition.  
October 2015;  The 4 large panels traveled to Gros Morne, Newfoundland for the fibreconference sponsored by the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Judy Martin taught a workshop based on the technique and design of the panels.

Mended World

       Mended World, 2012, 240h x 240w x 1d cm,  (94" x 94")

      Materials: re-cycled linen and cotton damask, new silk, light weight cotton, sewing and quilting thread, linen yarn, bamboo batting, backed with linen damask pieced with cotton dsigned by marimekko, 

      Technique: hand piecing using foundation cloth, machine piecing, hand quilting, hand embroidery/quilting, made with community assistance.  

            Photo:  Klaus Rossler

Exhibition History

This quilt is part of the Manitoulin Circle Project which took place over four years in Little Current Manitoulin Island under the leadership of Judy Martin.  144 community members took part in hand stitching four large meditation panels.
It was installed June 2012 in the Little Current United Church, Manitoulin Island
It went on exhibition as part of the solo exhibition, Mended World.  Organized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (catalog)

September 13 - October 27, 2013  Thunder Bay Art Gallery, part of the Mended World Exhibition
January 19 - March 2, 2014  Art Gallery of Sudbury, Mended World Exhibition

Easter Sunday April 20, 2014,  The four panels are installed in the Little Current United Church for permanent display.

October, 2014:  Espanola United Church.  The five panels are installed for the weekend of the Espanola Fibre Festival in the church's sanctuary.  Judy Martin gave the keynote address for the fibre festival that compared slow hand stitching to an act of social change.
November, 2014:  World of Threads Festival, Oakville, Ontario.  The four large panels are shown in solo exhibition at the festival.
May, 2015:  Homer Watson House and Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario.  The five panels were installed in solo exhibition.
October 2015;  The 4 large panels traveled to Gros Morne, Newfoundland for the fibreconference sponsored by the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Judy Martin taught a workshop based on the technique and design of the panels.

November 2017  Mended World panel travels to International Quilt Festival in Houston Texas USA for invited special exhibition, Masterworks: Abstract and Geometrics.  This exhibition features one quilt from each of the 29 featured artists in Martha Sielman's new book (2016)  Art Quilts International: Abstract and Geometric.  published by Schiffer.  This exhibition is expected to tour until 2020, traveling through the states and also going to Japan and Europe.

Earth Ark

Earth Ark, 2011  90" x 90"
re-purposed linen damask, silk noil, women's handkerchiefs, hand and machine pieced, hand embroidered and quilted.  Made with community assistance.  Part of the Manitoulin Community Circle Project

Exhibition History

2011 :  Little Current United Church sanctuary, the first of four large meditation panels that will be permanently installed.  Made over weekly meetings with Judy Martin, lead artist, and members of the wider community.  Little Current, Manitoulin Island, Ontario.

September  2013:  Thunder Bay Art Gallery.  Mended World Exhibition Thunder Bay, Ontario This exhibition was accompanied by a colour catalogue with essay by Dr. Elizabeth Kalbfleish.  

January 2014:  Art Gallery of Sudbury, Ontario as part of the Mended World Exhibition.  Sudbury, Ontario.

Easter weekend, 2014.  Little Current United Church sanctuary.  The five panels are installed for permanent exhibition.  They were dedicated June 1, 2014.

October, 2014:  Espanola United Church.  The five panels are installed for the weekend of the Espanola Fibre Festival in the church's sanctuary.  Judy Martin gave the keynote address for the fibre festival that compared slow hand stitching to an act of social change.

May, 2015:  Homer Watson House and Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario.  The five panels were installed in solo exhibition.  
October 2015;  The four large panels traveled to Gros Morne, Newfoundland for the fibreconference sponsored by the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Judy Martin taught a workshop based on the technique and design of the panels.