<aside> ✨ We’re so glad you’re here! Shapeshift is a new project created by Alanna Stapleton and Meghann Ziler. We hope that the resources below clarify our intentions and goals for this project, and we invite you to become involved in whatever way feels meaningful for you.

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What is Shapeshift: A Quilt Library for Respite?

Shapeshift: A Quilt Library for Respite exists to create restful and honest moments of solidarity in a community connected by quilts.

We believe that:

• Rest and solidarity are critical components of transformational change.
• Quilts showcase the tactile process of taking something apart and rearranging it into a new vision.
• Quilts are affirming objects of care that can support and tell our truths both during the making process and after.
• Quilts contain memories of immense care and consideration and have the power to absorb and pass on these intentions through collective use.

We hope that Shapeshift continues the work of radical quiltmaking communities that came before us by giving quilts ongoing opportunities to nurture transformational change, within ourselves and our communities.

I think quilts are cool, but why is this project important?

We believe that quilts are pretty special objects. Most quilts were traditionally made by repurposing existing resources into something new that either served a specific need or commemorated a special occasion—or, often, both of these things at once. We believe that there are a lot of similarities between how a quilt is made and how transformational change happens. Transformational change is the process by which something—an idea, an organization, a relationship, a community—becomes something different that’s ultimately more aligned with our values, the future we wish to inhabit, or the behaviors we want to model. Like quilts, transformational change can’t be undone. We are living in a time of immense change and everyone deserves to be supported through these changes. By spending time with a quilt and learning about the quilting process, we hope that you will learn how to better move through change in your own lives and in partnership with your communities.

<aside> 💠 Here’s the gist: Quilts are shapeshifters, and so are you.

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Okay, I get it now. How does it work?

We partner with quilt makers and community members to gather meaningful quilts. This could be a quilt you’ve made yourself, a quilt that a family member or friend has made, or a quilt that has become important to you in a different way. Quilts can be loaned to the library for a limited period of time or donated to the library’s permanent collection.

Then, we work with community spaces to set up the quilt library and open the quilts up for community interaction. This is not an art exhibition; participants are invited and encouraged to check out a quilt from the library and spend time physically interacting with it, learning about the story and skills that went into creating it, and reflecting on how the story of this quilt may relate to your own life, aspirations, and struggles. At this time, participants are not able to check out a quilt beyond the venue the event is being held in.

I’m in. How can I get involved?

Contribute a quilt

We would be truly honored to feature a quilt that you’ve either made or that has been important to your life in an upcoming event. If you are interested in contributing a quilt to the library—either on a temporary loan or permanently—please fill out this form and we will be in touch shortly.

Attend an event

Our next event is June 21, 2023 from 9am-4pm at the MCAD Library Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is free and open to the public.