Fabricana is honoured to carry this Indigenous designed quilt collection, “the Journey Home,” made by Karen Erickson! All proceeds from this quilt collection are donated to the IRSSS and Orange Shirt Society. To learn more about this collection and to support this wonderful cause, please read below! This panel will be available at Fabricana in mid-September.
About Karen Erickson
Born in Prince George, BC, Canada, Karen is a spectacular self-taught Metis-Cree artist. Her passion to create artistic masterpieces started in her childhood days, and today she is a successful artist who takes pride in connecting with people through her beautiful work.
Inspired by nature, animals and the people in her life, Karen paints stories through her art. She often finds herself dreaming of her next creative idea, which she meticulously translates onto a medium with her special skills. While acrylics, oil and etching are some her favourite mediums to play around with, Karen’s artwork can be found on rocks glassware, driftwood, canvas and feathers. She enjoys juggling her time working for Metis Nation BC, while also creating custom-made paintings on request.
The Journey Home Collection
In light of the traumatic events that have unfolded at former Residential Schools across Canada, Karen Erickson created ‘Every Child Matters’ out of reverence to those grieving. This painting depicts two siblings who were finally set free after being grimly discovered at a Residential School.
The children who are shown holding hands were torn apart from each other, but now reunited as they make their way back home. Karen included beautiful imagery such as a moon and feathers to represent the First Nations, Inuit and Metis people joining together to guide the two siblings home.
100% of the net proceeds from the sales of the panel from ‘The Journey Home’ will be donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and the Orange Shirt Society. For more information on these charities, please visit www.irsss.ca and www.orangeshirtday.org. As pledged by Northcott fabrics, the supplier of this panel.
Note: The Journey Panel is currently available as a reprint. The information shown on the Product Finder may be out of date.
Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS)
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society began in 1994 as a working committee of the First Nations Summit. Their work was primarily to assist survivors with the litigation process pertaining to Residential School abuses. In more recent years, their work has expanded to include assisting the descendants of survivors and implementing community education measures (indigenous & non-indigenous).
IRSSS provides essential services to Residential School Survivors, their families, and those dealing with inter-generational traumas.
The Orange Shirt Society
The Orange Shirt Society is a non-profit organisation with its home in Williams Lake, BC where Orange Shirt Day began in 2013. They have both indigenous and non-indigenous board members. The purposes of their society is as follows:
- To support Indian Residential School Reconciliation
- To create awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools through Orange Shirt Society activities
- To create awareness of the concept of “Every Child Matters”
About Orange Shirt Day
The annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30th opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. Wearing an orange shirt honours the children who survived the Indian Residential Schools and remembers those who didn’t. It’s worn in recognition of the harm the Residential School system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and well-being and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.
Wearing an orange shirt and promoting the slogan, “Every child Matters”, is an affirmation of our commitment to raise awareness of the Residential School experience and to ensure that every child matters as we focus on our hope for a better future in which children are empowered to help each other. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind. Every Child Matters from now on.
Information and write up provided by Northcott Fabrics.
If you’re excited about this collection and want to see more series carried like this at Fabricana, let us know! We try our best to carry Canadian designers and would love to hear if there are other groups you’d like to see available in our stores.
