TIMMINS - A handmade quilt created to honour residential school survivors has been stolen from a Timmins museum.
The wall hanging created by Katherine Jeremiah-Génier was stolen from the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre on Tuesday (Feb. 18), just two weeks after being put on display.
"I can confirm that the quilt was tragically taken from an exhibition in the museum. A police report was filed and the investigation is ongoing," Kaitlyn Dubeau, director of the museum, told TimminsToday.
Jeremiah-Génier — the studio manager at Quilts for Survivors who uses the pronouns they-them — said the quilt took 50 hours to make and was their first wall hanging.
It was part of The Art of Healing series put on by Mushkegowuk Council. It was set to be displayed at the Quilts for Survivors studio in South Porcupine after the museum exhibit.
Jeremiah-Génier found out about the theft from the organizer of the exhibit. They were told that a woman took the quilt and that museum staff is reviewing security footage.
In a Facebook post on Feb. 18, Jeremiah-Génier shared news of the theft, calling the loss heartbreaking. Within the first hour, the post was shared more than 200 times.
The piece features a digitally printed panel by Indigenous artist Karen Erickson, depicting the journey of children who attended residential schools. The design incorporates traditional colours and elements that hold cultural and symbolic significance.
Vanessa Génier, the founder and CEO of Quilts for Survivors and Jeremiah-Génier’s mother, said the piece also represents artistic growth.
“It’s a really good showcase of where they’ve come as a quilter, as an artist, because it’s perfectly imperfect. If you look at their quilts now, you can see an improvement in what they do and how they do things,” she said.
While the quilt could technically be recreated, she said it would not hold the same significance. The original was the first wall hanging Jeremiah-Génier made, and it was quilted by their brother.
“If the person who took it would have said, ‘I really like this. Would they make me one?’ we probably would have. And at no cost to them,” she said.
The theft is particularly distressing given the exhibit’s theme of home, Génier said.
“To steal something that symbolizes the kids who never went home — it’s very disrespectful to the artist, to our culture, and to our history,” she said.
It’s “very devastating as Indigenous artists,” Génier said.
“There's already so much racism in the world and even in this town, this doesn't help,” she said.
“It doesn't help the cause. It doesn't help what the exhibit was trying to showcase. It doesn't encourage Indigenous artists to showcase their work. It was the only piece that was not nailed down or protected by glass, which is really sad that we have to hide our art so that people don't take it.”
Jeremiah-Génier is disappointed over the theft.
“I can’t believe that someone would do that. There’s just no words,” they said.
Génier echoed their sentiment and made a plea for the quilt’s return.
“Just bring it back to the museum. No one will ask any questions. We don’t want to press any charges. We just want it back. And if you really need one, I’ll make you one,” she said.