Festival Art Souterrain

Quilt-making has become integral to the lives of many North American African diaspora women. Initially created at home from fabric scraps to keep families warm, quilts soon evolved into a means of expression, cultural transmission, and communication. During the 19th century, particularly in the context of the North American anti-slavery movement known as the Underground Railroad, quilts played a crucial role in guiding people to freedom. They indicated a network of secret routes connecting the plantations of the southern United States to Canada. According to oral tradition and the research of historians Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, quilts displayed outside homes conveyed important messages. For instance, they indicated safe havens and communicated vital information about dangers in the area or the locations of shelters and food supplies. Among the enslaved people who survived the dangerous escape to the North, many settled in Nova Scotia, where Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and their descendants lived. Their struggles against poverty and segregation continued, leading to significant collective movements and mutual aid efforts.

In 2012, the Black Artists Networks in Nova Scotia (BANNS) and the Vale Quilters organized the exhibition titled The Secret Codes: African Nova Scotian Quilts at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Curated by David Woods, the exhibition showcased over 35 pieces that illustrated the diversity of quilting traditions and their significance in Nova Scotian Black communities. The exhibition toured various Maritime provinces and was later presented at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto until 2024.

Two quilts, selected from this collection and presented for the very first time in Quebec, highlight the everyday rural life of women in Black Nova Scotian communities during the 1970s. The third patterned quilt draws inspiration from the secret codes used on the Underground Railroad.

Heather Cromwell lives in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her ancestors were among the Black Loyalists who fled to Canada between 1782 and 1784 after the American Revolution. As a child, she watched her mother and grandmother make quilts for the family and to give to relatives. She began creating quilts herself in her thirties and, in 2004, joined the Northumberland Quilters Guild to enhance her skills. Initially interested in traditional patterns, she later shifted her focus to creating narrative quilts. The two pieces she is presenting, made in collaboration with her family, illustrate these different approaches to quilting.

Myla Borden also lives in New Glasgow. After studying education, she struggled to find work in her field. Learning to quilt provided her with comfort during this challenging time. She learned the basic techniques from her aunt and further perfected her skills by gathering with other women. Since the 1990s, quilting has become an integral part of her daily life, serving as a means of expression and healing.

In 2007, Heather Cromwell and Myla Borden joined forces with several Afro-Nova Scotian women from New Glasgow to form the Vale Quilters. This group is dedicated to exploring African North American quilting traditions and promoting the heritage of the Black community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, where they live.

David Woods, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, has lived in Dartmouth (Nova Scotia) since he was a teenager. A self-taught artist, author, and engaged curator, he founded several cultural organizations, including the Black Artists’ Network of Nova Scotia (BANNS) in 1992. This organization aims to increase awareness of African Nova Scotian art in both Nova Scotia and Canada. Woods has received several awards, including the BBPA Harry Jerome Award in 2016, which recognizes excellence in Black Canadian communities. For nearly 20 years, he has been creating quilt designs based on sketches he made in the 1970s during his visits to Black communities in the province. These quilts have become emblematic of the Vale Quilters, with whom he collaborates.