Today was the last day of class and we had the pleasure of being joined by button blanket maker, Maxine Matilpi. During her visit, Maxine told us that was introduced to blanket making after helping family members sort through buttons as part of the process of creating these works. Maxine talked at length about the importance of colour to her culturally and artistically. Speaking to the symbolism of colour with regards to blanket making, she suggested that the colour red references maternity and fire, while blue symbolizes the sky. Maxine noted that blue is a rare colour to find in button blankets, however, she often uses it in her own designs and considers it her signature colour. She brought a wide variety of blankets with her to share with us. What a great way to end the term! Here are a few of them (note the use of blue in the first):