I received an inspiring email piece from one of my retreat students. Her name is Dr. Joan Fulton and she is the Professor and Associate Department Head of Agricultural Economics and newly appointed Provost Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion at Purdue University. She works with the five Cultural Centers on the campus — which include Black Cultural Center, Latino Cultural Center, Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center, Native American Educational and Cultural Center, and LGBTQ Center. 

 

Soon after Joan took her new appointment she had the idea of creating a community quilt with the LGBTQ center. The plan was to invite individuals (students, staff, friends, faculty) to create quilt blocks that she would join together into a quilt. Participants wrote messages on cream colored pieces of fabric. She then taught them to sew random-width strips around in a log cabin patchwork style.

 

Momentum for the project grew each day. About the project Joan says, “It was wonderful to see the original ideas of the students emerge. The students were thrilled with their creations – as was everyone else.” Joan trimmed and assembled the blocks into the 54” X 63” inch quilt and quilted it.

 

In mid-November (2016) the LGBTQ center hosted 2 panels from the historic HIV/AIDs Memorial Quilt as part of HIV/AIDS awareness. The Purdue LGBTQ community quilt was proudly along side the panels. Visitors from the campus and beyond came to the Purdue Memorial Union to see the quilts. Joan said, “The students were so proud and excited to see how their blocks became something greater when combined into the quilt. The sense of accomplishment of working together on the community art piece was a positive force. It was especially inspiring to read all of the messages on the quilt – as they were all positive messages. 

 

(Purdue LGBTQ Detail)

 

Since I’m a huge fan of Hamilton (the musical), Joan made sure I knew that someone had included a Hamilton quote in their block — “Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!” 

 

Other quotes in the quilt include: