The Prayer Quilt

It was December; the holidays were upon us. At Cary Academy, an independent 6-12 school in Cary, N.C., students were observing various religious holidays such as Christmas, Ramadan and Hanukah. So I took this opportunity to explore the worlds' religions and the role of prayer with my 9th grade art students. The unit involved researching and understanding sacred texts from around the world and creating an interactive prayer quilt that would act as a carrier for our hopes and dreams into the new millennium.

I began our exploration of sacred texts by reading a collection of prayers and prose from various cultural and religious backgrounds, such as a Tewa pueblo prayer, an ancient Hawaiian chant and readings from Rumi. After I read a simple prayer of gratitude, a student commented, "I like that -- it's neutral." This student was able to stretch beyond dogma and see the beauty of the text and how it related to her. This comment made me realize that, by examining prayers objectively, students could see them as vehicles for expressing universal human concerns.

I accompanied the class to the Media Center to research world religions, encouraging them to look at traditions outside of their own heritage. I also asked them to find sacred text that resonated with their own feelings, focusing on the words themselves, regardless of religious context. Each student copied several examples of text, making notes of the source, culture and religion.

After completing their research, students read their chose text or prayer to the class They had to explain why they had selected that passage and the meaning they found in it. Some comments were simple statements such as, "It sounds like what my father taught me." But one student in particular who normally presented the tough-guy facade read a very gentle and compassionate Buddhist text. He said that he felt the world should be more gentle. I clearly saw the person beyond the mask at that moment: a student being touched by a religious tradition different from the one he had known.

Next, students created nine-inch squares of handmade paper and wrote their selected texts onto them using markers and any decorative finish they chose. The idea was to embellish the words with the loving attention of illuminated manuscripts. We placed the finished prayer/text sheets on the wall of the school hallway.

Our second activity was to make a prayer quilt for display on campus. Many world religions use fabric in association with prayer and ritual such as Tibetan prayer flags, Christian vestments, Jewish torah covers and Islamic prayer rugs, for example. Our quilt was a variation on that theme. In the classroom, we discussed synonyms for prayer, such as "intention", "blessing", "desire" and "hope". Then we tied these ideas into our resolutions and dreams for the new year and millennium-for ourselves and for each other.

Next each student made a four-inch pocket from donated fabric scraps. After school, three students and I bound and dyed two yards of cotton fabric to create a tie-dye foundation for the pockets. Back in class, students attached their pockets-all 70 of them-to the fabric with a glue gun. On leftover scraps of handmade paper they wrote personal prayers, blessings and hopes inspired by their own research or of their own creations-and inserted them into their quilt pockets. When the quilt was finished, we hung it in the hallway next to our collection of sacred prose. On a nearby table, we placed permanent markers, small strips of colored fabric and safety pins so faculty and other students could attach their personal prayers. Our prayer quilt and sacred prose became a unifying element in the school, bringing together the hopes and dreams of many people.

At first I was hesitant to approach the subject of prayer in a school setting. I was concerned that parents or administration would voice concerns about approaching such a controversial area. However, by working from a historical and literary angle, and by integrating art, everyone, including staff and parents, found the experience to be a positive one. The students enjoyed watching the project come together and were proud of the end result. One 9th grader even asked if they could make another one! More importantly, it gave students a format to speak from their hearts in a safe manner and to reflect on the beauty that can be found in diversity.