The powerful art of quilting

Like many forms of art, quilting is about more than patterns and pieces of cloth stitched together. Quilts can be beautiful tapestries, a mosaic of colours, images and more. But, like other forms of art, it can also be used to tell a powerful story—one that drives home a message within its beauty.

Earlier this year, Sandy Proudfoot of Mono donated one of her quilts to Family Transition Place (FTP) to raffle off—a way to show her support and help reinforce FTP’s messaging on domestic and intimate partner violence. Another quilt is to follow in January 2024.

“Using quilts to make a statement about domestic violence is an unusual approach,” explained Sandy. “I hope it makes people more aware of the reality many people experience—they’ll never fully understand that reality without experiencing it but it can make them more aware.”

Sandy is more than just a skilled quilter. After starting a quilting program at Humber College in the 1970s, Sandy was encouraged to apply to art school ten years later, when in her forties.

“I was 43; after objecting so strenuously when the idea was pre- sented on Sunday afternoon, when I got up Monday morning I thought ‘I don’t want to end up on my deathbed thinking about all the opportunities that I might have taken and let pass by’,” Sandy shared.

That very morning, Sandy called the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and found out those were the only two weeks they were taking interviews for their fine arts program. She showed up to the interviews amidst a crowd of young art hopefuls with black art portfolios and her quilts in a green garbage bag. In her initial interviews, she met with the head of the design department who told her immediately she belonged at OCAD.

“She looked at my quilt—she was an architect—and she said, ‘oh, they’re just beautiful, they’re quilted tapestries’,” explained Sandy. “She said she’d put me in second year advanced as I already had my medium—textiles.”

Sandy lives in Mono, Ontario in a beautiful home featuring a quaint, quiet porch that looks out over her property and the forest around her. It is a place for conversations and the inspiration behind her latest statement quilt—a portrait of herself and a close friend talking as Sandy pursues her own journey of healing.

Sandy is one of the many people who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), something which has played a major role in her advocacy against violence and support of FTP.

The Porch: Opening the Door to Recovery is a follow-up piece to her first statement quilt, Coercive Control, promoting the idea of hope and renewal through counselling, connecting with others who have experienced abuse, and women’s shelters that provide a safe-haven.

In her artist’s statement, Sandy writes, “Upon the porch sits two chairs, one for the abused, one for the support offered by those who help guide us through this process. Reaching out for help, we can open the doorway to recovery. The black clouds of grief, of loneliness, of fear and of pain gather above and lie heavily upon the victims of domestic violence wondering what lies ahead. Yet, within that grief lies hope for survival. An explosion of brightly coloured flowers, inspired by the artwork of Canadian Métis artist, Kristi Belcourt, represent the hope of a better future, spilling out of those dark clouds, the door opens. If we survived the abuse, we will survive the recovery. But we will never forget.”

Sandy describes domestic and IPV as an insidious and serious issue in society today. Partners use coercive control, often long before things become violent, making people feel too afraid to leave, or speak up; for fear of being hurt, of children being impacted, of upsetting their partner.

Abusers, Sandy notes, depend on that. On the coercive control and the act, making it seem as though the victim is blowing things out of proportion. The one perpetuating the violence puts on a carefully cultivated performance to those outside the home—the violence is often only visible behind closed doors.

“It took me 21 years to admit I was in an abusive marriage,” said Sandy. “It wasn’t constant and it started like much domestic violence does—with control. But when he became very angry with me, as I had been assaulted physically three times before, it was not safe for me to continue living with it. It was a heartbreaking decision for me to call the police and not something I will ever forget. The hard part is that you don’t always stop loving the person who has been abusing you but at some point it has to end.”

Many victims will note that one question they are often asked is ‘why did you stay so long’ or ‘why didn’t you deal with it,’ but of course, the answer isn’t quite so simple—neither is the option of immediately leaving or dealing with it.

“First of all, you don’t want to admit this is happening, you want to carry on with your life,” explained Sandy. “And that’s what I did for a number of years. Then, when you finally admit it is one thing. To do something about it is another. Many if not all victims are financially compromised by their abusive partners.”

As she channels her own story and advocacy into these statement quilts, Sandy hopes people will start to grasp just how multifaceted this issue is— and how much work needs to be done to stop it.

“I hope that they see my quilts and wonder ‘what the heck is she doing with this imagery’ and are driven to read the artist’s statement, so that they understand the story it is telling,” said Sandy. “When people see The Porch, I hope they will know it’s okay, they will get through this, and that recovery through therapy is possible. There are still days I feel sad, or angry, or down in the dumps, but the help I’ve received from Family Transition

It’s Our Service that sets us apart!

For over 50 years, our families have provided electrical services to the Dufferin & Peel Region area’s homes, businesses, and industrial sites.

The Lotus Centre—a program offered by Family Transition Place (FTP)—provides sexual violence counselling and support for individuals (16+ years old) in Dufferin County and Caledon who have experienced past or present-day sexual violence. Counselling is also available to the partners, family members and friends of those who have been subjected to sexual violence. Counselling services are available in Orangeville, Bolton and Shelburne.