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Articles
Putting it all together
Esther Bryan is the driving force behind Quilt of Belonging
By Kathleen Hay
Standard Freeholder , Cornwall,Ontario January 13,2009
Esther Bryan appreciated the very essence of multiculturalism.
The spirit behind the Quilt of Belonging, Esther was born in Dijon, France, the daughter of her missionary parents, Jan and Alice Gazdik. She is the eldest of six children with her other siblings being Sharon, Susan, Helen, John and Paul.
When she was 10, her family settled in Trois-Rivières,QC. She attended Bishop's University to study science and math, but moved to Toronto with her husband, Gary, when she was 19.
It was only after marriage that Esther began to fulfill her inner artistic longings, often studying art books very quietly. She's a self taught artist, who particularly loves painting, drawing and textiles.
Thirty years ago the couple moved to Williamstown. Once her children were older, she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia University in 1994; however, it was a life-changing trip to Slovakia with her father that inspired her to create the Quilt of Belonging. For the next eight years, she and her dedicated team of volunteers spent countless hours researching, tracking contacts, obtaining funding, and eventually stitching together the hundreds of blocks for the massive project.
Officially launched April 1, 2005 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization the quilt is currently on a five-year Canadian journey.
Esther is also a fellow of the Ottawa Watercolour Society, and a member of Christians in the Visual Arts International. She has received many awards and honours, including the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003. A piece of her work, Counting Stitches Counting Time, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Civilization.
Pianist, organist and Sunday school teacher for St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Esther loves to ski, camp, teach piano, cook and garden. To her, life is at its best when the pieces work together.
She and Gary reside in Williamstown and are parents to Lydia, Luke and Sylvia.
Q: Is there a piece of artwork you made during your childhood that brings you fond memories?
A:: I never made art. I drew on pieces of paper. I had no idea it would be something for me later on. I always thought anybody who could create art would be the most blessed person of all, but I never occurred it would be part of my life. I was married when I began to buy books on art, and I did it quite quietly.
Q: When did you realize you were on to something big with the Quilt of Belonging?
A:: I always knew. One of the first things I did was talk to a curator at the Museum of Civilization. I said, "I've got this really huge idea." I had just enough to convince him to give me a letter stating the museum agreed to exhibit it upon completion. That's a huge commitment for a museum -a ridiculous risk -but he had seen my work and had confidence in me. I could see the joy in the project that comes from encompassing others. I've always wanted art to speak to peoples' hearts.
Q: What was it like having missionaries for parents?
A:: First of all, you live hand-to-mouth. But you lived on faith. Although I didn't appreciate it at the time; that was the greatest gift they could have given anybody. It also meant you were the new kid in school all the time. One of the joys I still hold strong is that we had a house that was always open, and we met people from all over.
Q: If you hadn't been an artist, what would you be doing for a living?
A:: Good question! I had wanted to be a doctor at one time. My husband and I work seriously at missionary work now and human outreach. I want to be able to make a difference.
Q: What is your best advice for someone who wants to make livelihood as an artist?
A:: Oh, my. My best advice is not to go into art thinking about how to make a livelihood. You should make the art, not even think about selling it. Otherwise you get caught up in what sells and what doesn't. You need to make the art out of a deep sense of conviction. You need to maintain your integrity.
Q: Which quilt block has touched your heart the most?
A:: There's one locally, the Austrian block, just because of the great courage of Lydia Glover. The block ended up in a fire in her house. It survived and she survived. There was also a lot of human courage involved in the Central African Republic block. The woman who made it went back and met the dictator who had persecuted her, then forgave him.
Q: What is your favourite piano piece to play?
A:: I absolutely adore Debussy's Claire de Lune. But also Amazing Grace. I have a beautiful arrangement of it. I was an absolute Beethoven nut. But music goes by my moods, the same as my art. I can look at a painting I made and think, "This was Mahler's 3rd Symphony."
Q: What or who is your greatest inspiration?
A:: That's a tough question. Francis Schaeffer. He's a philosopher. And the writings of Hans Rootmaker. They both have written a lot about art, the making of art and the philosophy of life. It's always been to me what is behind the art. It has to respond to human need.
Q: If you could have an art lesson from any artist, living or dead, who would you choose?
A:: Bruce Herman. He's a well-known painter in the States. Contemporary artist, Oil and multi-media, very large works.
Q: What was the most difficult aspect of creating the Quilt of Belonging?
A:: Finding everyone. Because our commitment was it would not be complete until all our First Peoples' were included, plus we needed one person from every country in the world. The letters, the chasing, the traveling.
Q: What are you working on right now?
A:: I'm working on two parallel lines. I'm working on a painting and drawing series, and I'm also working on textile art. I can't quit that one.
Q: If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called?
A:: Oh, that's mean. I don't know . . . The Path Least Taken, maybe? It hasn't been the easiest road, with a lot of turns, but it's been the most rewarding.
Q: Do you have a secret indulgence?
A:: I do love chocolate truffles, especially hazelnut. And, again, hazelnuts go back to my roots.
Q: When you look at the quilt, what do you see?
A:: I look at it and I marvel about the beauty encompassed in the diversity of humanity. I see colour, but I see people. I feel just so passionate about the rich tapestry of humanity still today. That' what drove me then, and what still drives me.
A key person in the making of it was Rev. Peter Hincke of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. I wanted to be dead-certain I was meant to do this. One of the things I learned as a missionary's child was that God will provide. The road won't be easy. I just wanted to know if this was my ambition, or something God wanted me to do.
Q: What would be your next ultimate art project?
A:: I don't have another dream in that domain at this time. I would really like to complete the work I'm doing. If there was something I wanted to do more, I'd do it. It's not about the size, it's about what I want it to say.
Q: How does it feel to you when the Quilt is described as "Canada's most comprehensive textile project?"
A:: There are people still emailing us saying it was so powerful for them to see the quilt. I feel a sense of gratitude. Relief, too!
Q: What was the greatest lesson you took away from your visit to Slovakia with your dad? I think one of the greatest is that you can't judge other people until you walked in their shoes. It's an old one, but when you saw families so split with completely different experiences, it's true. It was a realization we are all in a sense molded and broken by events of life.
A:: I think one of the greatest is that you can't judge other people until you walked in their shoes. It's an old one, but when you saw families so split with completely different experiences, it's true. It was a realization we are all in a sense molded and broken by events of life.
Q: If you had to choose one art, what would you choose?
A:: Oh, I'd paint! I'd paint and paint and paint! I can't imagine not painting.
Q: Are you more spiritual or religious?
A:: Good grief ! Those are two terms that are misused a great deal. Religious is often an outward trapping. I'm not comfortable with that term. I'm God's child and I like to live like that.
Q: What's your favorite Slovakian recipe?
A:: Slovakian recipe? Easy! Poppy seed kolache. It's the ground poppyseed, or hazelnut filling, rolled in a yeast dough.
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