Quilted Conscience happening Sept. 24-28 at Stuhr Museum

Quilt blocks will represent hope for many Newcomer students, thanks to a special event.

Quilted Conscience will be Sept. 24-28 at Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Town Hall and Peter School. The event offers Grand Island Public School Newcomer students an opportunity to make quilt blocks depicting a memory from their homeland and a dream for their future.

Quilted Conscience is in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of a similar project in Grand Island. The project derived from John Sorensen’s work on the Abbott sisters, Grace and Edith. The sisters had a passion for helping immigrants. Grace and Edith were both social workers who worked to improve immigrants’ rights and child welfare.

Joe Black, executive director of the Stuhr Museum, said the previous program was the first program of its kind the museum was part of. He said at the time many Sudanese immigrants were new to the Grand Island community. The event helped connect their story to the reality that these new immigrants were part of the community. Quilted Conscience promotes the history and legacy of the Abbott sisters and their work with immigrant children. It will be similar to the event 10 years ago.

Local volunteer quilters and Stuhr quilters will help the students with their quilt blocks.

Black said the creativity of the quilt blocks uses the connection of the past to let the Newcomer students talk about their journey. He said the event shows the parallels between stories from the Abbott sisters’ time to present day: immigrants still share similar hopes, struggles, fears and dreams. John Sorensen will be at Stuhr Sept. 28 and Sept. 30 for the event

“We’re very happy to be working with Grand Island Public Schools on this to show people those connections,” Black said.

The public is invited to attend the Quilted Conscience reception on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. in the Stuhr Building. Stuhr Museum is offering free admission that day for those attending the reception.

Quilted Conscience was made possible through a grant from the Grand Island Community Foundation and the generosity of Stuhr Museum.