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PRESBYTERIAN
FALL 2024
presbyterian.ca
Connection
Patchwork Pride Project in Toronto
Kirk Dunn with pieces of the hand- knit Pride flag.
By Claire Dunn
When two of his three rainbow yarn art installations were van- dalized and stolen during Pride Month in 2023, Toronto-based actor, writer and fibre artist Kirk Dunn knew he had to do some- thing different this year—but what? Eventually, he conceived the Patchwork Pride Project—a giant, crowd-sourced, hand- knit Pride flag made of six-inch squares knitted by people from several provinces and as far as the state of California. It was installed outside west-end To- ronto’s Morningside-High Park Presbyterian Church on June 15, 2024.
Also known as “The Knitting Pilgrim,” Kirk has been knitting since 1988 and designing since 1995. In 1998, he apprenticed
with world-renowned knitter Kaffe Fassett in England, and has since been covered in The Toronto Star, Vogue Knitting, Maclean’s Maga- zine, the National Post and on CBC Radio.
Kirk is best known for his one- of-a-kind textile installation called “Stitched Glass,” a triptych of 6’ x 9’ panels designed in the style of stained-glass windows, which looks at the commonalities and conflicts among Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The masterwork was supported by an OAC Chalmers Foundation grant in 2003 and it took Kirk 15 years to complete. The stage play, The Knitting Pil- grim, which Kirk has performed over 85 times in Canada, Austria, Germany and the U.S., tells the story of his journey knitting the tapestries.
Kirk’s goal with knitting is to create a gentle, non-threatening way to start empathetic con- versations and dispel fear of the other—the very goals of his three rainbow yarn installations: cro- cheted tree sweaters that went up at Crieff Hills Retreat Centre in Puslinch, Ont., Todmorden Mills Heritage Site in Toronto’s East end and Morningside-High Park (MHP) Presbyterian Church in To- ronto’s Bloor West Village.
A member and elder at MHP, Kirk was happy to put the rain- bow yarn bomb on the church’s 12-foot-around tree. It took months to crochet and went up during Pride 2022. But six weeks
The dedication at Morningside-High Park Presbyterian Church. PHOTO CREDIT: GEORGIA KIRKOS
later, Kirk received a call from the police saying it had been vandal- ized and cut down. Kirk repaired it for re-installation during Pride 2023. This time it was torn down and stolen, not even lasting 24 hours. The police recorded the vandalism as a hate crime. Kirk and MHP received many com- ments from the community re- garding their upset and disap- pointment about the incident. A crocheter in Georgia contacted Kirk and offered to make a new yarn bomb for the huge tree her- self. Kirk took her up on the kind offer.
Todmorden asked Kirk to install a second yarn bomb in 2022. They invited it back for 2023, but the yarn bomb was tagged almost immediately after installa- tion. Kirk reversed it so the spray- paint couldn’t be seen, but the
next day, it was stolen. This year, Kirk dreamt up an outdoor instal- lation that would hopefully be out of vandals’ reach: the Patchwork Pride Project, a giant, crowd- sourced, hand-knitted Pride flag made with 414 six-inch squares. Kirk put the call out over social media and was overwhelmed by the response of 1,176 squares from across the province, country and as far away as the US. In the end, the flag ended up being an incredible 1,008 squares, meas- uring 12 ft wide x 22.5 ft long.
A Piecing Party was held on Sunday, June 9, at Morningside- High Park Presbyterian Church (complete with a rainbow Happy Pride cake), and had about 30 people from the LGBTQI+ and church community madly sew- ing together all squares, as well as a giant nylon backing to make the flag. It was officially installed on June 15 during the congrega- tion’s Community Yard Sale and BBQ, then dedicated on June 16.
This project has extra reso- nance for Kirk, given The Pres- byterian Church in Canada put out a statement in 2018 about its ongoing reconciliation efforts
Kirk Dunn and Phyllis Goodfellow put it all together.
and repentance for harm done to members of the LGBTQI+ com- munity. MHP sees hosting the in- stallation at its church as part of that reconciliation.
Learn more by emailing Kirk at [email protected].
Recollections & Reflections: 150 Years of The Presbyterian Church in Canada
In recognition of the PCC's 150th anniversary in 2025, the Committee on History is preparing a published collection of stories about where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.
Do you have a favourite memory of singing in choir, attending youth group, going to a potluck supper, attending General Assembly, or anything else that shaped your involvement in church?
What are some of the things your congregation is doing today to share the good news of Jesus in your community? And what are your hopes and dreams for the PCC as it approaches
150 years?
Wewanttohearfromyou! PleasewritetoIanMcKechnie, Project Coordinator, at: [email protected]
Submissions will be accepted through December 2024.
Kirk Dunn with 540 Patchwork Pride project squares. PHOTO CREDIT: CLAIRE DUNN