Artist-in-Residence Creates LS "Global Community" Quilt

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Internationally known quilt artist Jennifer Amor transfers
a student's drawing to a quilt block.

Community quilts are as old as quilting bees--and as fresh as the Lower School "Global Community" quilt. During the week of March 15 students in Marilyn Wood's art classes worked with internationally known artist-in-resident Jennifer Amor to design blocks for a Lower School quilt.

Jennifer Amor worked with the Timmerman School in
1993 to create this Barrier Island Quilt.

Working thematically with "things everyone has in common," the students drew their own memorable images from recent classroom units of inquiry. For example, one third-grader, recalling the opportunity to see and touch a real, human brain during a classroom unit of inquiry entitled EveryBODY, pictured a very pink brain.

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This third-grader's quilt block depicts a human brain. At right, .images from their unit of inquiry entitled "Up a Tree" showed up in the work of several first-grade artists.

Many second-graders, drawing on their inquiry into festivals and family traditions, drew vivid Valentine's hearts, Easter eggs, and Halloween masks. Primers contributed crosses. Fourth-graders depicted symbols that everyone can relate to, such as the international sign for "handicap access." The project is an example of the creative ways the arts are integrated throughout the curriculum in the IB Primary Years Program.

A student shares his design with a classmate.

Students learned about quilt patterns and history before tackling their own designs. When satisfied with their block, they colored it on paper using fabric transfer crayons.

At that point, prize-winning artist Jennifer Amor took over. Well-known for her book, Flavor Quilts for Kids to Make, she has worked with many school groups to create quilts.

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Quilts of America featured a section on Amor's designs, including her intricate bargello quilts.

Amor transferred the students' images to muslin quilt squares using an iron. Then she began to arrange the student blocks on the wall until she liked the composition.

As part of her residency, Amor will assemble the quilt and return it to the school for hanging and display. With a finished size of 88 x 62 inches, the quilt will contain 160 student designs representing every class in the school. A border of children's handprints will unify the quilt. Art teacher Marilyn Wood hopes to be able to hang the finished quilt in the Commons area before the end of this school year.

Artist-in-residence Jennifer Amor, left, and Art teacher
Marilyn Wood, right, examine a border fabric panel.