Stolen quilt honouring residential school survivors returned to artist

A quilt honouring residential school survivors that was stolen from the Timmins Museum last week has now been found.

The quilt turned up Tuesday morning in the Timmins library's drop-off bin. 

"It's in pretty good condition," said Katherine Jeremiah Génier, the quilt's creator.

"It does smell a little bit, but we're just going to wash it and it'll be fine. But it's in good condition. There's nothing wrong with it."

The quilt had been on display at the museum as part of an exhibit of work by young Cree artists. 

It was to be displayed at the Quilts for Survivors studio after the exhibit.

Génier doesn't know much about how the quilt made it back into their hands, but it did have a note affixed to it, they said.

"I'm just glad that the person returned it," they said.

The quilt is no longer on display at the museum Génier said.

Instead, the artist plans to make something else for the exhibit, while the returned quilt is displayed at the Quilts for Survivors studio.

"The experience was really frustrating and whatever," Génier said. 

"But I also just don't want to take away from the main message of why I created the quilt. So it's made to honour survivors of residential school, day school, 60s scoop, and the children who never made it home."