A Community Quilt of COVID-19 Stories

As a designer, I’ve come to learn how a city’s design can affect people negatively and unequally. Sometimes it’s done purposefully, and sometimes it’s carelessness. The pandemic has made many of these inequities visible. I am working to understand what “care” really means and how to build care within the community.

Through this ongoing exploration, I designed and coordinated this large-scale community artwork focussing on our collective – yet individual – experiences of the coronavirus pandemic. The “From Behind the Mask” quilt is both art and an architectural space authored by hundreds of people in our community. It provides material and space for reflection, grieving, hope and togetherness.  Each block represents a unique voice, perspective and experience of life during this time. When the quilt blocks are tied together, we are making space together for each other. The hanging of the quilt makes space for stories of pain, resilience and care here in our community. It is an acknowledgement of inequality and a starting point for community healing.