Local textile artist Kate Lenkowsky spent more than a year stitching a quilt in commemoration of Sept. 11 that now hangs in the Civic Leaders Living-Learning Center in Briscoe Quad .
Its title, “The Call to Service,” is hand-embroidered along its bottom, and the blanket was assembled in blocks of varying sizes.
It is a story quilt and “a quilt in the tradition of quilt making,” Lenkowsky said.
On Sept. 11, Kate and her husband, Leslie, a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, were at their home in Indianapolis preparing to move to Washington, D.C., when the planes struck. They moved shortly after the terrorist attacks.
“It was very traumatic when we moved to Washington,” Lenkowsky said. “It was extremely tense at the time and very somber.”
Paul Helmke, director of the Civic Leaders LLC, said he remembers silent skies after flights were grounded but was reassured by a sense of worldwide sympathy.
“It was a tragedy, but also a time when people came together,” Helmke said. “I think part of what Kate tried to do was capture that again, a positive sense to pull ourselves up and do what we can to make this a better world.”
The quilt reflects the aftermath of Sept. 11, and Lenkowsky said it tells a story not of terror but of recovery.
“This is a story of what you can do to help,” Lenkowsky said. “This is what I remember.”
While in Washington, D.C., Leslie began working as the executive director of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Kate had access to the corporation’s photo archives, a large collection of photographs of people volunteering in a variety of ways.
She said she was inspired to retell the story of Sept. 11 by sharing these images of service in a quilt.
Kate adapted and sewed images from the library of people helping senior citizens and disabled students, ?tending outdoor fields and forests, building shelters and otherwise serving their communities.
“The quilt itself, I think is inspiring. It conveys that people can give back to their communities in different ways,” Helmke said. “It was about how the country really came together.”
The quilt was housed in Washington, D.C., and traveled to national conferences until Kate revisited it early last fall and decided it needed a new home. The Lenkowskys donated the quilt to the Civic Leaders LLC, and it was unveiled Aug. 19.
Helmke said he sees the quilt as a method of visual communication to his students, telling them to give back.
The Civic Leaders LLC is home to 66 freshmen, and members of the living-learning community learn lessons of leadership to help motivate them to give back to their communities.
Helmke said civic engagement is highly encouraged.
“In my career, I’ve felt that everyone needs to be citizens and figure out what their skills are and do what they can for their community. The quilt conveys that,” Helmke said. “Art can play an important role in motivating people and in reinforcing a message, so it ties into what we’re trying to do here at the Civic Leaders Center.”
The quilt depicts community service as following basic principles by fixing and cleaning up your neighborhood.
Helmke said Sept. 11 may have helped rouse this sense of commitment, but much of that has diminished since.
Kate said a community and a nation worth living in needs contributions from its people, and with “The Call to Service” quilt, she hopes to inspire younger generations.
“It needs to be seen by young people because they are who need a little encouragement that this is something that you do when you are a good citizen,” Kate said. “Be a part of your community in any of a number of ways.”
