June 30, 2014
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Children have their own way of coping with the loss of a loved one, and one of those methods is now being shared at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Currently on display in the museum’s education gallery are eight memorial quilts created by local youth to help them in the grieving process.
A finished quilt hangs on display and depicts the squares designed by children at the Katerpillar Kids Camp as a way to cope with the loss of a loved one.
Katerpillar Kids Camp is a special weekend day camp for children in grades 1-12 who are grieving the death of a loved one. Part of the healing process the camp provides has been the opportunity for campers to design quilt squares, illustrating their feelings or memories of the special person no longer in their lives.
Those squares are assembled into quilts, and the quilts from eight past Katerpillar Kids Camps will be on display at the museum this summer from July 1 to Aug. 24. This is the first time the quilts have been displayed at the Knoxville Museum of Art.
“Each quilt square is beautiful and represents each child’s personal story,” said Covenant Hospice volunteer coordinator Katie McLaughlin. “The quilts are magnificent pieces of art that hold so many memories.”
The quilt squares are sewn together by community members who donate materials, time and talent. The quilt for the 2013 camp year, now completed and ready for display, was made and donated by The Village Quilters in Loudon, Tennessee.
“Katerpillar Kids Camp is a great way for children to meet other individuals who are struggling with grief,” McLaughlin said. “Some may have lost a parent, grandparent or sibling, and although the details of their experience may be different, they all understand what it feels like to grieve.”
Katerpillar Kids Camp is a free community service provided by Covenant Hospice and sponsored by Variety – The Children’s Charity. The 2014 camp will be held at Camp Wesley Woods in Townsend, Tennessee, Sept. 20-21. For more information, visit katerpillarkidscamp.org, or call Katie McLaughlin at 865-374-0864.
The Knoxville Museum of Art is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday.
About Covenant Health
Covenant Health is a community-owned health system providing comprehensive health services throughout East Tennessee. Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health includes seven acute care hospitals as well as numerous outpatient services. The health system also includes specialty providers of behavioral, oncology, and rehabilitation services, along with home care, physician clinics, and community wellness programs. Covenant Health has more than 10,000 employees, volunteers and affiliated physicians.
