Ama Peyman with a section of her project, “The Community Quilt.” Courtesy photo.

CABOT – Ama Peyman is recreating a new community quilt for this year’s Black History Month Project at the Cabot Public Library.

Last year, residents of Cabot shared poetry, music, film and more at the Cabot Public Library and the Den at Harry’s Hardware and Farmhouse in honor of celebrating Black History month.

Due to COVID-19 and in keeping with the CDC guidelines, this year’s celebration cannot gather for readings or public art showings. The celebration this year is a large handmade quilt in the shape of Vermont.

Peyman, a Cabot artist and poet, knew she always wanted to quilt. Soon after moving to Cabot in the early fall of 2019 with her husband, the events of the pandemic completely changed their lives.

With all of her new-found time spent at home, Ama used her quarantine to take on creative hobbies and used this opportunity to reflect. She began sewing prayers for racial unity, a return to decency, for the growth of mutual respect and for future aid and unity in generations to come.

Ama and friends in the Cabot community began the design by reaching out to friends and neighbors to collect family photos and children’s drawings to incorporate into the piece.

The project is an ode to the historic Friendship and Freedom quilts that guided traveling enslaved African Americans as they headed north via the Underground Railroad. Just like in a Freedom Quilt, stitching of prayers and names are essential to the love and friendship that was created in the final quilt.

Cabot’s community quit showcases hand-stitched protection prayers. “Quilts show our common thread of creativity and our love in the stitches,” says Ama about the piece.

The Vermont shaped quilt will be roughly 2-1/2 feet by 2-1/2 feet of floral patterns. The collection is made up of red and pink floral squares, as well as various shades of blues and greens.

To incorporate the town’s history, the quilt will be adorned with a collage of photos and drawings from the community.

In dedication to the spirit of “Cabot Old Home Week,” the quilt is to be celebrated by everyone in and around Cabot. “I hope to see a vast revival of that grand tradition and the joy of that homecoming weekend for this town,” said Ama.

If all goes to plan, the Cabot Human Family Quilt Project will be on display sometime in early March at the Cabot Public Library for viewing. Pictures will be posted online as well for those who wish to view the art remotely.