Detail from American Civil Liberties Union Quilt: August, 1997.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering his stirring plea for racial equality and justice.
Entire ACLU quilt.
Click on images for a larger view.
| Quilts & Peacemakers |
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| The Boise Peace Quilt Project is a nonprofit group of hopeful and determined people working to create a more peaceful world, one stitch at a time. The project stitches Peace Quilt Awards to honor peacemakers in every arena, from ecology to education and from international relations to health care. Some quilts offer friendship to people in other parts of the world, or serve as experiments in cooperative action. Other quilts are political statements. All of them are stitched cooperatively and with love. | ||
A Brief Chronology |
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| First Boise Peace Quilt May, 1982 A gesture of friendship to the people of Lithuania, USSR, from 35 Idahoans; scenes of Idaho and of peace. |
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| Norman Cousin's Peace Quilt December, 1982 An award quilt from children's drawings to celebrate peacemakers. Presented to Norman Cousins for his decades of effective peace work. \http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/cousins.html |
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| No More Hiroshimas! May, 1983 Presented in friendship to the people of Hiroshima, Japan, honoring those whose work has benefitted survivors of the atomic blast. Each block speaks of our good reasons for working together to avoid a nuclear war. http://www.hiroshima-is.ac.jp/Hiroshima/survivors.htm |
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| Pete Seeger's Peace Quilt July, 1983 Awarded to Pete Seeger, a heartfelt tribute for courage, for hope, for musical threads that bind our lives together. http://home.earthlink.net/~jimcapaldi /http://www.clearwater.org/festival.html http://www.clearwater.org/ |
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| Dr. Helen Caldicott's Peace Quilt February, 1984 A quilted celebration of individual peacemakers presented to Dr. Helen Caldicott, dynamic and articulate opponent of the nuclear arms race and founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility. http://www.spatrade.com/knowledge/idx/44/104/Medical_Spa_Treatments/article/ http://www.abc.net.au/btn/australians/caldicott.htm http://www.nationalcenter.org/dos7116.htm |
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| Sen. Frank Church's Peace Quilt February, 1984 Awarded to Senator Frank Church (1924-1984), a man of peace and an inspiration to each of us to work for a more humane, responsive world. Scenes of Idaho. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAchurchF.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAchurchF.htm |
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| Greenham Common Peace Quilt March, 1984 A crazy quilt of fabric memories of the dear value of life, presented to the women of the Peace Camp, Greenham Common, England. "Weaving and reweaving the web of life." http://www.greenham-common-trust.co.uk/history.htm http://www.iwm.org.uk/online/greenham/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/514492.stm |
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| Soviet-American Children's Quilt July, 1984 Soviet and American children's drawings, quilted by Soviet and American mothers alike, this quilt was presented in person to the Leningrad Peace Committee as a symbol of the unity of mothers committed to a peaceful future for their children. |
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| National Peace Quilt November, 1984 Children's visions of peace and security; one square from each state in the Union. All 100 U.S. senators were asked to spend one night each beneath this quilt and have their names embroidered on it before it joins the Smithsonian collection. "REST beneath the warmth and weight of our hopes for the future of our children, DREAM a vision of the world at peace, ACT to give the vision life." |
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| Sister Marjorie Tuite's Peace Quilt February, 1985 A quilt for Sr. Marjorie Tuite, O.P., a Dominican nun and activist in the arenas of peace, justice, and women's rights who gave us hope in the power of cooperative action. Each square celebrates an individual peacemaker. |
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| Katherine Pavesic's Peace Quilt August, 1985 An award to Boisean, Katherine Pavesic for her advocacy for children and her work for peace. "All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today." |
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| Boise Peacemakers' Quilt September, 1985 A celebration of peacemakers in our midst. These hard-working, joyous people strengthen and enrich the fabric of our daily lives. |
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| Nicaragua Libre! June, 1986 An expression of friendship and solidarity with women and children in Nicaragua. "We certainly cannot deny to other nations that principle whereon our own government is founded, that every nation has a right to govern itself internally under what forms it pleases, and to change those forms at its own will." Thomas Jefferson |
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| Joint Soviet-American Peace Quilt March, 1986 Cooperatively designed and stitched by American and Soviet women, batted with "Peace Fleece" from Soviet and American sheep, bearing 40 images of real American and Soviet children. Women carried this quilt to speak its peace in the presence of Soviet and American arms negotiators in Geneva, Switzerland. |
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| Dr. Charlie Clements' Peace Quilt October, 1986 Presented to Dr. Charlie Clements, whose life bears witness to faith in the power of love and non-violence to bring about change. "Your compassionate commitment to social action has strengthened our own." http://www.uusc.org/info/presbio.html http://www.psr.org/ |
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| Sanctuary Quilt January, 1988 Depicting the struggle of Central American refugees fleeing persecution in their homelands to find sanctuary and hope in North American churches and communities. |
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| Elise and Kenneth Boulding's Peace Quilt May, 1988 Honoring Elise (a sociologist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee) and Kenneth (a visionary economist and poet). On the quilt, images of the world we want to create surround "...our insistent vision given birth, the precious patchwork of this earth." http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/feb1/boulding.htm http://www.nap.edu/html/biomems/kboulding.html http://www.schumachersociety.org/lec-bou.html http://www.peacecouncil.org/boulding.html http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC26/Boulding.htm |
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| Boise Peace Quilt Project's 5th Anniversary Quilt May, 1988 Quilters' fifth birthday celebration to share in this community and with each other; a quilt about quilts. |
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| John Jeavons' Peace Quilt August, 1988 John Jeavons' Ecology Action is helping people the world over to feed themselves while conserving soil, energy, and water. http://www.johnjeavons.info/ http://www.growbiointensive.org/ |
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| Archbishop Hunthausen's Peace Quilt October, 1988 Presented to Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen in recognition of his devotion to the sanctity of life and his leadership by quiet example. |
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| Cesar Chavez' Peace Quilt October, 1988 Presented to Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. "Social justice for the dignity of all cannot be won at the cost of human life." Scenes of his work and the sources of his inspiration. http://www.ufw.org/ |
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| Gesundheit! Dr. Patch Adams' Peace Quilt July, 1989 Awarded to Patch Adams, M.D., a man living his exuberant dream of building a healing community where modern medicine is humanized and affordable; where joyful good humor meets good health. http://www.patchadams.org/ http://www.patchadams.org/home.htm |
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| Just Us: Stitching Against the Poverty Bias May, 1990 Acting locally to sew together the powerful and the disenfranchised in our community. A joint venture with the Boise Action Council. |
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| Idaho's Peoples Quilts October, 1990 A panoramic triptych celebrating the rich cultural diversity and the natural beauty of Idaho in her centennial year, with contributions from members of 140 ethnic groups and Native American tribes. Present to the Idaho Human Rights Commission. |
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| Saying YES! Saying NO! December, 1990 Saying YES! to the future of our children, Saying NO! to the machinery of death, this three-part quilted work features portraits of our children from whom we want to stop nuclear weapons production and ensure safe storage of existing nuclear wastes, in Idaho and across the nation. Its centerpiece is a hopeful, graphic representation of the world we can work together to create. |
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| Danaan Parry's Earthstewards Peace Quilt Aware April 1992 To honor the Earthstewards Network's global citizen diplomacy and creative initiatives, this quilt was made to be a tool for diplomacy. Its ingenious pockets are already in use transporting messages and photographs to and from "enemy" camps. http://www.earthstewards.org/ESN-Root.asp |
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| Peace Quilt Award for Fred Rogers November, 1992 This tribute to this wise and gentle role model and advocate for children is made from children's pictures from their neighborhood. The detailed portrait of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood is amazing. Mr. Rogers and Mr. McFeeley visited Boise in November of 1992 to receive this quilt. http://www.misterrogers.org/ |
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| Rosa Parks' Peace Quilt Award April, 1993 Rosa Parks, a quilter who loves shades of pink and green, sparked the American civil rights ovement in 1955. When nine year old Ryan Liebenthal presented this quilt, she asserted, "Not all our heroes are men!" http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html |
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| Lester Brown's Worldwatch Peace Quilt Award December, 1993 This environmental "watchdog" group presents the annual "State of the World" report, the internationally-renowned yardstick for our mutual achievements and failures at environmental repair. http://www.worldwatch.org/about/ http://www.worldwatch.org/ |
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| Habitat for Humanity Award Quilt June, 1994 Houses built all over the world by Habitat are rendered in fabric on this quilt, linked by the embroidered names of all the countries in which Habitat is active. The central image of a house-building crew sits on a foundation of pieced earth-tone log cabin blocks. http://www.habitat.org/ |
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| Anne Frank Peace Quilt: "Always Remember" February, 1995 Anne Frank's words of innocence and charm throw blinding light on racism, prejudice, and injustice. http://www.idaho-humanrights.org/contact.htm |
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| A.C.L.U. Peace Quilt August, 1997 An award stitched to honor American Civil Liberties Union members, past and present, who have worked to protect and defend the rights of all Americans. http://www.aclu.org/ http://www.aclu.org/ |
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| Award Quilt for Judge Charles and Robert Hay May, 1999 This quilt was stitched to honor the work of Judge Charles Hay and his wife, Roberta,and the many volunteers who have helped them establish a Youth Court systems in the Boise valley; educating young people about the justice system and providing humane and creative consequences for first time offenders, involving their families and the community in a network of corrective support. http://www.youthcourt.net/ |
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| Julia Butterfly Hill Award Quilt March, 2000 This young woman spent over two years atop an ancient redwood in northern California, securing its survival against the threat of logging companies. Julia is an inspiration to discouraged young people, and an inventive, determined role model for activists of all ages. She acts on her belief in the power of love to make change. http://www.circleoflifefoundation.org/home.html |
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| Universal Human Rights Quilt June, 2000 Part of Boise's "Lasting Legacy Project," this quilt celebrates local organizations working to protect human rights. It will hang in City Hall as a symbol of citizens' commitment to human rights for all. http://www2.state.id.us/adm/adminrules/rules/idapa45/45index.htm |
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Rosalie Sorrels' Quilt |
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| Wake Up! Quilt 2002 Boise Peace Quilters are waking up the world to the interrelationships among human desire, warfare, population growth, globalization, technological innovation, and climate change. This quilt’s cocky rooster and jarring alarm clock are calling its viewers to engage in actions toward an optimistic future for all life everywhere. So contact us so you can use it as a backdrop for your next social action! |
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| Eve Ensler Quilt July 2004 Ms. Ensler has devoted her life to stopping violence, envisioning a planet in which women and girls will be free to thrive, rather than merely survive. The Vagina Monologues is based on Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humor and grace the piece celebrates women’s' sexuality and strength. Several Boise Peace Quilters presented Ms. Ensler her quilt after a performance of her play, “The Goody Body,” Saturday at the Geary Theater in San Francisco. http://news.amnesty.org/pages/SVAW_eve_ensler_biography |
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| Rick Hooper Quilts Sept. 2004 Soon after the suicide bombing of the UN Baghdad headquarters August 19, 2003, Marilyn Shuler proposed that the Boise Peace Quilt Project make a quilt in memory of Rick Hooper, Capital High alum who was serving as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the time of his death. Consequently, the Boise Peace Quilters stitched 2 Rick Hooper Peace Quilt Awards. Boise artist Zella Bardsley presented the first Rick Hooper Quilt with his mother, Betty Peak, to the UN Secretariat in New York. We presented the second one to Capital High School in Boise to annually honor a graduating senior who advances the causes of social justice and peace. It is displayed in a glass case in the school’s social studies wing. http://www2.ucsc.edu/cgirs/rickhooper.html |
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| QUILTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION: MCDONOUGH QUILT The Peace Quilters are trying to shift everyone’s worldview, in how we think about the relationship between the earth and its inhabitants and the economy. So, we are making a quilt for William McDonough, a world-renowned architect and designer. Time magazine recognized him as a “Hero for the Planet” in 1999, stating, “His utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world.” Donough-Braungart Design Paradigm, which models human industry on natural processes. Fortunately, more and more business leaders are complying with their model! Thus, we assembled our quilt block packets with their “DesignTex” eco-intelligent polyester fabrics and natural, organic fabrics with organic cotton background fabric, which we dyed an intense yellow-gold with onionskins. It will be STUNNING! TERRY REILLY HEALTH SERVICES QUILT In 1971, TRHS started as a volunteer effort to treat children from migrant and seasonal farmworker families. It soon began, however, to provide health services to all who faced barriers: the working poor, the uninsured, the homeless, and adults and children of all ages and ethnicities. We are making this quilt award to celebrate TRHS’s 25th Anniversary! |
